


Leap Before You Look

by Misha Berry (MishaDerps)



Series: Reaching For Horizons [3]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice (Comics), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Depression, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, Misunderstandings, On Hiatus, Tim Drake is Robin, sexual awakenings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-28
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-09-01 16:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16768522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MishaDerps/pseuds/Misha%20Berry
Summary: Kon can't help but be curious about his enigmatic teammate, Robin. After expelling the Reach from Earth and chasing the Light into the shadows, Kon turns his attention to trying to get to know this secretive other boy. Too bad Robin doesn't seem to want to do much with him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not actually sure whether or not I like this first chapter, but I'm going to leave it. This is the first time I've ever written a sequel to anything, so maybe that's throwing me off.

After everything that happened with the Reach and the Light, the Team was pretty familiar with one another. They worked well together, like a well-oiled machine, and got along pretty well outside missions. Kon would even call them his friends, if he were to be so bold. Wonder Girl was fun and smart, always as eager for the next mission as Kon was. Beast Boy was the youngest on the Team, but his excitement was contagious and he loved to make people laugh. Arsenal could be rough and angry at times, but he had a cutting sense of humor and never backed down from a challenge (which could make for some very interesting pranks). Blue Beetle was a little bit neurotic and a worrier, but with Impulse around to soften him a little, he was actually quite fun. Impulse, on the other hand, could be a little overwhelming at first, but was a good and loyal friend at the end of the day.

The only enigma was Robin.

Kon had taken a while to notice it, but Robin seemed to avoid the rest of them. He mostly stuck close to Nightwing and Batgirl, and rarely just hung out with any of the Team that was his own age outside of official Team business. Kon had thought he might be just shy at first, but after so long, it seemed like it was more intentional than that.

It was training day at the Watchtower, which the Justice League was letting them use until a new HQ for them could be built (apparently some sort of mansion type thing was in the works). Kon would have been perfectly happy to keep using the Watchtower, but Nightwing had stressed the importance of the Team having their own space to operate, which Kon understood. To be honest, even his nerves were starting to fray under all of the constant supervision. Not that they had ever been left unsupervised per se, but they’d at least had some amount of autonomy. Now it seemed like there was always one or more Leaguer breathing down their necks about something or other. Kon suspected the reason he got the least of it was because he was the son of Superman himself, and others didn’t want to step on his dad’s toes. It was actually getting a little annoying.

Kon made his way to the training room that had been singled out for the Team’s use. Unless a surprise mission popped up (which was known to happen), Kon and the other youngest heroes on the Team—Wonder Girl, Arsenal, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, Impulse, and Robin—would be training all day. Kon hoped someone else from the Team would lead the training session today, rather than a Leaguer; they tended to go easy on them, still treating them like kids.

To Kon’s delight, Kaldur was waiting for them when he arrived in the training room. Robin, Blue Beetle, and Impulse were already waiting, and it wasn’t long before the others trickled in.

“Good afternoon,” Kaldur greeted them, “I will be leading your sparring session today. Pair up and begin sparring, and I will come along to inspect and give pointers.”

Kon smiled and reached for Cassie, his usual partner. They both had similar power sets, so it was an easy match. They could go a little harder on each other than they could with others and not worry so much about hurting one another. Cassie smiled and bumped him with her elbow as they found a spot on the mats to begin sparring.

The afternoon passed almost leisurely, familiar, comfortable rhythms filling the space between moments. At the end of the training session, they had all worked up a sweat.

“We finished yet?” Impulse complained at the end of the hour, impatient as always.

“Yes, you are finished for the day,” Kaldur said. There was something in his tone that made Kon look up, but Kaldur was already dismissing them, tapping away at a tablet. Kon gave him a friendly wave; of all of them, he’d been the fastest to forgive Kaldur after his ‘betrayal’.

Cassie tugged on his hair as she flew passed him. “Come on, movie night!” she said, grinning widely.

“I’m coming, jeez,” Kon huffed, batting her hands away and trying to fix his hair. He noticed Robin out of the corner of his eye, making his way out of the training room without a second glance to the rest of them.

“Hey Robin!” Kon called, flying over to land next to the other boy before he could leave. “Me and the rest of the Team are going to go watch a movie. You want to come along?”

Robin seemed a little stunned, both at Kon’s sudden presence and like he was surprised he was being asked. “No, that’s alright,” he said after a moment.

“Why not?” Kon asked, trying not to sound impatient. “It’s going to be a lot of fun. Everyone is going to be there.”

Robin looked away and shifted uncomfortably. “No, thank you,” he said, then before Kon could try again, turned and walked away, back straight and shoulders stiff.

Kon watched him go with a frown. He debated going after him, pressing the issue, but Impulse began to run circles around him to hurry him along to the movie, distracting him. Through gathering the necessary snacks and getting themselves comfortable in front of the TV, Kon didn't think of the Boy Wonder. It wasn't until the previews started that he thought of other boy again.

“Hey, you ever notice Robin?” Kon asked suddenly as the previews were winding down.

“Sure, kinda hard to miss the guy when he’s tossing you on your ass,” Roy grumbled a little, still somewhat testy after once again losing to Robin in a sparring match. “Why?”

“Well, doesn’t he seem… distant?” Kon asked, “Like, he never wants to hang.”

“Some people don’t want to socialize with people they work with,” Jamie pointed out, “Plus, you know how Bats are about the whole secret identity thing.”

“Yeah, maybe he’s not allowed,” Cassie said, “Like Batman won’t let him.”

“But the other Robins were allowed to hang out,” Kon said, “They hung out all the time.”

“He could just be shy,” Cassie suggested.

“After nearly a year working with us?” Kon asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Maybe he just doesn't like us?” Gar suggested, tossing popcorn up to catch it in his mouth. “Though I can’t imagine why.”

Kon grumbled, but the conversation quickly moved on before he could steer it back. He knew he shouldn’t have been bothered, but there was something about Robin that made Kon curious. Sure the Bats were strict on secret identities, but both Nightwing Batman understood the importance of fostering good relationships with teammates. Kon was even sure he’d caught the tail end of a conversation between Nightwing and Robin where the older had been encouraging Robin to make friends on the Team. Robin was just so closed off to everyone but the other Bats. Kon had only seen Robin crack a genuine smile once, and that was at something Batgirl had whispered to him. Robin, for some reason, didn't seem to want to socialize with the Team at all. He got all cagey and weird everytime Kon tried to invite him somewhere with the rest of the Team, and he tried to leave as soon as possible after every mission and training session, making it hard for Kon to even catch up to him. It was just all so… strange.

The movie ended the way it usually did with them; a popcorn fight and a mess that Cassie and Jamie scolded them into cleaning up. Kon did his part, but his thoughts still lingered on Robin. After nearly a year of trying to get the other boy to hang out unsuccessfully, maybe it was a lost cause?

* * *

Some days later, at another training session, Nightwing arrived to be their supervisor. He looked a little better than he had in the last while since Wally’s death, but Kon could still see the shallowness of Nightwing’s cheeks. He waved a quick hello to Robin, then stood in front of all of them.

“Alright, today we’re going to pair up and spar,” Nightwing said, pausing to watch the group begin to pair off. “Hold on a second,  _ I’ll _ be pairing you up.”

“What? Why?” Arsenal asked, always using any excuse he could find to be annoyed at anyone.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on your guys, and whenever you spar you tend to pair off into predictable patterns,” Nightwing explained, “They’re good pairs, evenly matched, but Kaldur noted that you seemed comfortable.” He raise an eyebrow at them, “Comfort isn’t something you’ll find much of on missions.”

Nightwing then proceeded to pair them off to spar. To Kon’s surprise, he was placed opposite Robin.

“Shouldn’t I be fighting Beetle or Beast Boy or something?” Kon asked Nightwing. He had nothing against Robin, and even admired his tactics in the field, but for sparring, they seemed unmatched.

“Are you doubting the capabilities of my successor?” Nightwing asked with a raised eyebrow, but the twitch of his lips told Kon he was mostly teasing. Only mostly though.

“No,” Kon said, “But I mean he’s still…” He trailed off, looking for the right word.

“Robin is perfectly capable of holding his own,” Nightwing assured him, “Besides, it’s good for you to know how to curb your strength as well. Overwhelming force can win a fight quickly, but we try our best not to hurt anyone. Accidents can happen if you aren’t careful.”

Kon grumbled, but he had to admit that Nightwing had a point. He dropped into a fighting stance and readied himself to face Robin.

Robin was smaller, weaker, and slower than Superboy, and they both were aware of this. Kon figured it was going to be a pretty quick fight. He respected Robin as a well-trained combatant, but he was no match for a Super. At least Kon was sure of it.

Robin waited for Kon to strike, biding his time. Kon eventually got impatient and made the first move, taking a light swing at Robin, who dodged swiftly. Kon chased him around the matt, getting a little more frustrated each time his strikes didn’t connect. Kon growled and took another swing at Robin, using more force than was strictly necessary, hissing through his teeth when Robin ducked away once more. Robin danced away a few paces nearly to the edge of the matt. Kon charged after him, putting on a burst of speed. Instead of jumping out of the way, Robin dove forward, startling Superboy slightly and putting him off balance. Robin tucked into a roll and slammed his boot solidly into Superboy’s shin, kicking it out from under him. Kon went sprawling, flipping end over end and winding up flat on his back. He blinked for a second trying to piece it together.

“Good work Robin,” Nightwing called, the smile audible in his voice. “Nice use of your opponent’s strengths against him.”

Robin’s face appeared above Kon’s. “You okay?” he asked.

Kon sat up and looked up at Robin. “Dude, how did you do that? I don’t think we’ve ever fought before.”

Robin tilted his head and shrugged. “I pay attention,” he said, as though it were obvious to him. He twirled his staff around. “Do you want to go again?”

Kon leapt up. “Heck yeah I do,” he said. He wanted to see if he could put this kid on his back.

They went through a few more sparring sessions, but the closest Kon came to getting him ended with a draw. Robin was calculated and decisive, like he’d already thought of every move he could make. Kon would be impressed if he wasn’t so annoyed by failing to beat him even once before Nightwing split them up into new groups.

At the end of the session, Kon had a handful of victories in his pocket against the others, but he’d kept an eye on Robin throughout. He wasn’t any less calculated against the others as he’d been against Kon, though Cassie had managed to get the upper hand on him once. Still, it was easy to see why Batman had chosen this kid as Robin. Kon found himself even more curious about him than before.

While the training was winding down, Kon made his way over to Robin, determined this time. Robin noticed him coming and set his shoulders, all business as usual.

“Hey, good session today,” Kon said, “You’ll have to teach me that thing you did that took down Impulse.”

Robin raised an eyebrow under his mask. “Uh, okay,” he said.

Kon smiled brightly at him. “Anyway, we’re having another movie night. Want to come?”

Robin frowned and Kon could see the ‘no’ forming on his lips, but before he could say anything, Nightwing bounded over and seized Robin by the shoulders. “He’d love to,” Nightwing said brightly, grinning from ear to ear.

“Ah, no, that’s—“ Robin started to protest, “I have so much work to do.”

“Nonsense, Batgirl and I can handle it,” Nightwing insisted, now starting to push Robin toward’s Kon. “Enjoy yourself for one night at least kiddo. You deserve it.”

“I really don't need to,” Robin tried again, digging his heels in as he was pushed. “It’s fine, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

Kon raised an eyebrow, confused. “Why would you be intruding? I invited you.”

“Exactly,” Nightwing said, “Now go have fun with the Team. I’ll let Batman know where you’re at.” He gave Robin one last shove, almost sending him sprawling into Kon’s arms. “Now go have fun!” Nightwing called, bouncing away, stopping to give Robin a thumbs up from the entrance before disappearing into the hallway.

Robin grumbled and picked himself up, a little flushed in the cheeks. He glared at the door where Nightwing had disappeared and then glanced up at Kon. “You really don’t have to invite me you know,” he said, “If you don’t want to.”

Kon just tilted his head. “Okay,” he said, not sure what to even say to that. “Anyway, we’re going to watch  _ The Sound of Music _ today. Bart picked it. He says he wants to get a sense of all the classics, but we all know that he picked it because Jamie loves Julia Roberts.”

“Uh, okay,” Robin said, shifting on his feet, clearly uncomfortable. “Maybe I should—“

Kon cut him off before he could finish that thought; he was not letting him wiggle out this time. He grabbed Robin’s wrist and began tugging him away to where the others were waiting. “Come on,” he said, “You can help me and Roy gather the snacks.”

Robin squeaked minutely as he was dragged, but only put up a token resistance. Kon heard him sigh slightly, like he’d resigned himself to his fate. The others looked up as they approached. Bart seemed particularly excited to see Robin joining them.

“Finally!” Bart said, zipping around Kon to bounce on his heels right in front of Robin. “I was beginning to think the history got it wrong or something. I’m glad you’re finally gonna be our friend.”

“Um, sure,” Robin said, watching Bart nearly vibrate where he stood. He gave an awkward wave to the others. “Hey,” he greeted.

“Sup,” Roy said, the others voicing their own acknowledgements. “We watching the dumb musical or what?”

They all began to make their way to the media room, Kon keeping a close eye on Robin in case he tried to slip away when no one was looking. Robin stuck close to the edge of the group, speaking to no one, but he didn't make a break for it, so Kon was counting that as a win. Kon made sure to grab him and pull him along when he and Roy broke off to get snacks.

“You like sweet or salty popcorn?” Kon asked, rifling through the cupboards for the extra large bags of popcorn he knew were stashed there. Some of the Leaguers liked to spoil them, but to keep out of the way of their mentors, they wound up sneaking them the good quality snacks for movie nights.

Robin shrugged. “I’m fine with either,” he said.

Roy scoffed. “We’re getting both anyway,” he said, “Impulse will probably eat the whole thing before anyone else gets a handful.”

Kon rolled his eyes. “If you're still mad he snatched your beef jerky that one time, it’s your own fault for leaving it in the common room.”

“He knew it was mine!” Roy hissed.

“And you should know how he is about food by now,” Kon said, tossing the bag of caramel popcorn at him.

Roy growled, catching the bag of popcorn out of the air. Robin grabbed a few bowls for them, as well as several smaller bowls so those who wanted their own bowl could have one.

“Should we get anything else?” Robin asked, “Fruit or something.”

“Square,” Roy said, dumping the contents of the bag into the larger bowl. “You wanna throw in a veggie tray while you're at it?”

Robin pressed his lips together, looking away from Roy. Kon reached over and punched Roy in the shoulder, enough to make it bruise, but not enough to invite retaliation. Roy glared at him, but Kon just shoved the bowl of popcorn into his arms.

“We need drinks,” Kon said, “Rob, can you grab them?”

Robin nodded and went to the fridge, grabbing a pack of sodas. The three of them made their way back to the media room; Kon hung back to try and talk to Robin.

“Don’t worry about Roy,” he said, “He’s just angry at everything.”

“I know,” Robin said, his frown deepening slightly. “I’ve been on this team longer than he has. I’ve seen him in action. He’s got a lot of issues.”

“Right,” Kon said, “Well, don't take it personally anyway.”

“I don’t,” Robin said shortly, stepping a little faster and outpacing Kon. Kon sighed and wondered what he was going to have to do to win the stoic bird over.

The TV was already playing the DVD’s title screen by the time they arrived. Bart and Gar immediately reached for the snacks, and Robin calmly handed out the cans of soda. Cassie grabbed hold of Robin and pulled him down to sit next to her, smiling at him and striking up a conversation. Kon sat near them, feeling somehow left out all of a sudden.

They sat watched the movie, quiet conversations popping up from time to time. Kon chatted with the others, but getting Robin to join in was proving to be difficult. When he did say anything, it was usually a short answer to a question. He sat stiffly, with good posture and his hands in his lap, but with the impression that he was trying to make himself as small as possible.

The movie ended and they started to clean up the discarded snack bowls and dropped popcorn. Robin helped them gather everything, still saying nothing. Just as he was about to leave, Kon managed to catch him.

“Hey, it was cool for you to come,” he said, “You should pick the movie for next time.”

Robin looked up. “Pardon?” he asked.

“Next movie night,” Kon said, “You should pick what we watch. It’s supposed to be Cassie’s turn, but I’m sure she won’t mind.”

Robin frowned deeply and faced Kon a little more directly. “Superboy, what are you doing?” he asked.

Kon blinked, surprised. “What do you mean?” he asked.

Robin sighed. “Look, I appreciate what you're trying to do, but you really don’t need to,” he said, “You don't have to keep inviting me to hang out.”

“Uh, okay?” Kon said, wondering what exactly was going on. It felt like there was something he was missing.

Robin gave him a nod and then left the media room, his cape swishing as he walked. Kon watched him go, wondering why he felt like he’d been on the opposite side of a conversation he knew nothing about.

* * *

After the movie was over, Tim put in a few hours of casework, even though Barbara and Dick had told him that they had it handled. He wasn’t supposed to patrol tonight either, but when he went home, he used the Zeta tube that was furthest from his house, forcing him to leap across the rooftops to get home. If he stopped a mugging or two well, it wasn't like he had to punch in a time card.

When he finally got home, Tim didn't bother trying to sneak in, just walked through the front door. “I’m home,” he called softly into the empty mansion, listening to the hollow echo.

He pulled the mail the maid had left for him on the front hall table, carding through the invitations for galas and events addressed to his parents. A postcard caught his eye and he pulled it out, trying not to let any spark of hope fan into a flame. The sparks quickly faded without much fanfare as he read that his parents were extending their trip in Java for another two weeks. If Tim knew them by now, they’d decide to stay the last week of the month and just go straight to Mali from there instead of coming home for a week before having to leave again.

With a sigh, Tim set the mail back down and went upstairs, shrugging off his cape as he went and folding it. He pulled off his mask as he got to his bedroom door, tossing it and his cape on his computer chair. He stripped out of the rest of his costume and flopped down on his bed in his underclothes.

Tim thought back to that day after training. Superboy had been inviting him to join the others for their movie nights for a while now, but Tim knew better than to think any of them really liked him. Kon was a very nice person, like his dad, and he wanted everyone to be included. It was sweet of him to try and include Tim, and he did appreciate the gesture, but Tim was not under any delusions. He was useful to the Team, and that was it. Besides, it wasn't as though he was planning to be around for very long. He was going to get Batman back on track, maybe stick around long enough for a better Robin to be found, and then he was going to return to his normal, boring life.

Tim shivered, wishing he’d thought to pull the covers over himself before getting into bed. He didn’t move though, resigned to a fitful night’s sleep and cold toes in the morning. He slowly drifted off to sleep, visions of kind, well-meaning eyes playing across his mind and making their way into his dreams.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sure how happy I am with this, but we're still in the beginning, so we'll see how things keep progressing. I honestly have very little idea what I'm doing with this, but I made promises, so here we are.

When Kon was called to the briefing room that the Team was using as their deployment center, he didn't think much of it past there being a mission. When he arrived, Nightwing and Guardian were waiting for him and the others who’d been called. The others, Blue Beetle, Beast Boy, Wonder Girl, Impulse, Arsenal, and Robin, all arrived in short succession. Kon couldn’t help but glance at Robin out of the corner of his eye, wondering what was going through his head.

“We’ve got a mission for you,” Nightwing told them when they finally all assembled. “Missing persons case, possible human trafficking.”

“Cheerful,” Arsenal said.

Nightwing ignored the commentary. “Ever since the Reach came to Earth, many people have gone missing, but since their expulsion from Earth, that number has greatly gone down. However, small subsets of people are still going missing. Teenagers, anyone from the ages of thirteen to sixteen, have been going missing in cities all over the continental US. They come from all different backgrounds, races, religions, genders, sexualities; nothing seems to unite them aside from their age and the general areas they’ve gone missing from.”

Guardian tapped at the tablet in his hands, throwing up the holoscreens and showing them the statistics. “What makes these cases interesting is that every teenager who’s gone missing has turned up weeks or months later, with no recollection of where they’d been since going missing. Aside from being dehydrated and undernourished, they’ve been returning healthy and of sound mind, aside from the amnesia.”

“As the youngest of the Team, you seven are the perfect covert ops for this mission,” Nightwing said, “You’ll start by investigating the places where these teens have gone missing, and the places where they reappeared. Robin will be in charge.”

They were given all the info that was on hand and quickly sent out, the usual instructions at their heels; reconnaissance only, don't take any risks to the Team, and don't blow anything up. This last caveat wasn’t  _ necessarily _ directed at Arsenal, but he grumbled and rolled his eyes all the same. With one last stop to check all their gear, they set out to the first site.

The initial disappearances had all taken place in areas where kidnappings normally wouldn't have; semi-public areas where anyone might have stumbled upon a teenager being taken against their will. No one had seen anything, and it almost seemed as though the teens had just vanished into thin air. One teenager in Seattle had been crossing a parking lot with CCTV and had crossed behind a large SUV only to not emerge from the other side. Accounts from the teens themselves stated that they had no memory of how they’d been taken, that they’d simply been walking down the street or sitting somewhere before they were suddenly waking up weeks later in either the same place they’d gone missing or close by. It was certainly baffling the police.

The first site they were investigating was a park where seven teens had gone missing and turned up again. It was a park in Metropolis that spanned several acres, filled with winding walking paths and lots of trees, but still a difficult place to kidnap someone from. It was night when they arrived, so the place was completely deserted, though most of the teens had gone missing during daylight, casting and even stranger aspect on the whole situation.

Robin split them up to search the area for clues. “Stay alert and proceed with caution,” he warned, business-like. “Call in if you find anything that might be a clue.”

With that, they split to search the park, Beetle and Impulse, Wonder Girl and Beast Boy, and Robin, Superboy, and Arsenal making up the groups. Superboy flew above the other two, scanning with his x-ray vision for anything that stood out. Kon couldn’t help but steal glances at Robin every now and again, wondering what was going on in his head.

_ “You guys find anything yet?” _ Impulse asked through the comms.  _ “Because we’ve got nothing.” _

_ “We’ve barely started Hesse, calm down,” _ Blue Beetle berated.

Impulse groaned.  _ “I could search this whole park in  _ minutes _ , why are we doing this the slow way?” _ He complained.

“We’re doing this the  _ thorough _ way,” Robin said, “And get off the comms, we’re not here to trade banter.”

“Someone’s a sourpuss,” Arsenal said, “Relax Boy Wonder, we’re fine. We’re not going to get written up for chatting in class.”

Robin grumbled, but Superboy couldn't help but snicker. Arsenal was kind of an ass, but he was pretty funny, in that sarcastic kind of way.

“Just pay attention to what you’re doing,” Robin said, “We don't want to miss anything important.”

Superboy floated down towards the others. “I think between the seven of us, we can handle a little investigation,” he said.

Robin said nothing, but his frown deepened so much Superboy worried that it might permanently carve wrinkles over his brow. They continued on, only occasionally interrupted by someone making a comment.

After nearly half an hour of searching, they were all starting to get a little bored. There didn't seem to be anything interesting in the park, or anything that might suggest the mysterious kidnapping of teenagers.

“This is pointless,” Arsenal griped, “They’ve got us doing useless leg work for nothing. They probably just want us out of the way for a couple hours while they do the  _ actual _ work.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re not,” Superboy said, flying a little lower. “We’re all important to the Team.”

“Oh really?” Arsenal snapped, “Then why send  _ seven _ of us to do what’s clearly a two person job? Why not split us up into separate locations instead of having us all at the same place?”

Superboy opened his mouth, but found he had nothing to say to that. It did seem a little odd that they were all on this mission when only a couple of them would have sufficed. The more he thought about it, the more it didn't add up.

“We’re being tested,” Robin said suddenly, cutting through the tension.

_ “What? Tested?” _ Beetle asked,  _ “For what?” _

“Not sure,” Robin said, “Probably something to do with us working together as a team.” He looked back at Arsenal and pinned him with a stare. “So I suggest we do our mission efficiently and properly, so we don’t fail whatever they’re testing us for.”

Arsenal grumbled, but continued searching without anymore complaints. They continued searching in mostly silence, all of their minds now turned anxiously over what they might be tested on. It wasn't until Blue Beetle finally spotted something that any of them said anything.

_ “I think I might have something,” _ Beetle said over the comms, almost startling Superboy.

“What is it?” Robin asked, already heading in Beetle and Impulse’s direction, Arsenal and Superboy following close behind.

_ “Not sure, it’s kinda… weird,” _ Beetle said,  _ “I’m not even sure if it  _ is _ anything. Scarab says it’s something, but I don't know man.” _

“Stay where you are, we’re coming to you. Everyone, make your way to Beetle’s position, be prepared for anything,” Robin ordered.

They made it to Blue Beetle’s location, finding him staring at a patch of dirt intently. Impulse was flitting around the area, trying to find clues to whatever it was that was going on. Robin approached cautiously, taking his scanner from his utility belt.

“What did you find?” he asked, tapping at the screen of the little device.

“Not sure,” Beetle said, frowning and looking around, like he’d dropped his sunglasses on the ground. “Scarab says there’s something there, but I can’t locate it.”

As soon as Superboy got close, he could tell what had Beetle so confused. It was as like stepping into a cold room after being outside in the hot sun, not so much as in temperature but in the consistency of the air. It was slight, so much so that he didn't think he would have noticed it without his heightened senses, but it was enough to make Superboy pause for a moment to try and locate the source.

“Superboy?” Wonder Girl asked, noticing him looking around. “Did you see something?”

“Does anyone else feel that?” Superboy asked, “In the air?”

“You feel it too?” Beetle asked, looking a little frazzled. “It’s driving Scarab crazy and I can’t find the source.”

“What is it?” Robin asked, all business.

“It’s like…” Superboy searched for the right words, “It’s like the air is different. Like it’s thinner somehow,” he tried to explain, waving his hand in the air vaguely.

“Like if you were on top of a mountain?” Wonder Girl asked, “Or really high up?”

“Yeah kinda,” Superboy said, “It’s weird.”

“Does it seem to have an epicenter?” Robin asked, tapping away at his device.

“Not really,” Superboy said, looking around. On a hunch, he activated his x-ray vision and looked around for anything amiss. He noticed something underneath them, buried in the earth. “There’s something underground.”

The group took a collective look at their feet; Wonder Girl and Blue Beetle both began to hover a few feet above the ground. “What does it look like?” Robin asked, the only one who seemed unphased.

“Some kinda device,” Superboy said, “Like an old computer box.”

Robin gave a considering hum. “Beast Boy, can you dig it up?”

Beast Boy nodded and turned into a dog, digging where Superboy indicated. After a few minutes, he uncovered the device, pulling it up with the help of Wonder Girl. They overturned the device on the ground, brushing it off and stepping back to let Robin inspect it.

It was about the size and shape of a 90’s computer box, though it had a metal casing and a long antenna that stuck up into the air so that, while it was buried, the antenna stuck up just above ground. It was slightly warm to the touch and buzzed softly, indicating that it was still working despite having been dug up. There were no discernable switches or buttons, but there was a single blinking yellow light in one corner of the device. Robin went over the device several times, still tapping at his scanner. Eventually he stood and brushed off his hands.

“It’s a teleportation device,” Robin explained, “Though a very rudimentary one. I mean, so far as teleportation devices go.”

“The hell is a teleportation device doing in buried in the middle of a park?” Arsenal asked.

“It’s probably how the teens have been disappearing,” Wonder Girl said, “Which would explain why no one has seen anyone get taken. They all just got zapped away.”

Robin nodded. “That’s probably it. I’m not sure, but I think this device uses a hub of some kind. Things and people can be teleported to and from the device or the hub and back again, but only between the two. You can have multiple devices like this—” he gestured to the box, “—but they all have to be synced to the hub. You can’t go from device to device, you have to make a pit stop at the hub.”

“Okay,” Wonder Girl said, “So I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say that wherever the hub is is probably where our missing teens are.”

“That’s probably a good hypothesis,” Robin said, smiling ever so slightly at her. “Now all we need to do is head back to the Watchtower. They’ll be able to find out where the hub is using scans of the residual energy in the area.”

“So what do we do with this thing then?” Impulse asked, giving the box a hearty smack, making it wobble. The blinking yellow suddenly held steady and turned green.

“Well for starters, we probably shouldn’t  _ hit _ it,” Robin said irritatedly.

Before any of them could react or get away, there was a strange burst of multicoloured light. Superboy’s stomach lurched uncomfortably and he had to close his eyes against the weird light. When he opened them again, he was startled—though not surprised—to find himself in a large warehouse next to huge cluster of machinery. He sighed deeply and turned to glare at Impulse, who looked appropriately chastised.

“Oops?” Impulse offered, trying to grin and shrug his shoulders like he could cute his way out of trouble.

Robin groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Come on, let’s make the most of this and take a look around.”

No sooner than he’d said this, a door on the far side of the warehouse floor opened and voiced carried through the space. Thinking quickly, Superboy grabbed hold of Robin and flew up into a dark corner of the warehouse, hiding them in the scaffolding of the ceiling. The others quickly followed, Wonder Girl grabbing Arsenal and Blue Beetle grabbing Impulse. They kept to the shadows and tried to listen to what was being said by the two men who were making their way across the room.

“I’m telling you, I heard it go off,” one man was saying. His voice was pitchy and nervous.

“It’s  _ fine _ ,” the other man growled, “This hunk of junk is glitchy as shit, it probably transported a pidgeon or something.”

The team held their breath as the men crossed the warehouse floor and made it to the other side of the machine where they’d been standing only moments ago. The second man gestured to the empty space.

“See? Nothing,” he said, “The machine just glitched or something.”

“Maybe we should search the building anyway?” the first man suggested, “Just in case someone got in?”

“Jesus fucking Christ Dale,” the second man groaned, “Can you not be paranoid for five fucking minutes? How the hell have you survived in the drugs business for so long when you jump at your own God damned shadow?”

The first man, Dale, frowned at his companion. “First of all, my cautiousness is precisely the reason I’ve survived this long, and second, you  _ know _ I have anxiety Phil.”

Phil sighed and rubbed his eyes. “You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said, “Look, we’ll tell the guards to be on the lookout, but I’m not falling a search party in the middle of the night for what’s probably just the machine being a piece of shit.”

Dale sighed. “Fine, but if I don't sleep tonight, I’m blaming you for it.”

“I’m certain you will,” Phil said, shaking his head and walking back towards the door. Dale took another look around the room before following, checking over his shoulder every two seconds. Finally they left the room, shutting the door behind them.

“So now what, fearless leader?” Arsenal hissed.

Robin frowned after where the two men had gone. “We’re here, we might as well see what’s going on.”

Silently they made their way to the door, careful to look out for any security cameras that might spot them. The door wasn’t locked or alarmed, so they slipped through unimpeded, finding themselves in a long concrete corridor, boarded up windows along one wall. At the end of the corridor, a dim glow spilled weakly through a cracked sliding door. Robin motioned them forward to huddle behind the door, ready for anything.

“Superboy, can you see anything passed the door?” Robin asked.

Superboy slid up close to Robin, entirely too aware of the smaller teen’s presence next to him. He caught a whiff of something subtle and spicy; shampoo? Cologne? What sort of teenager wore cologne? Superboy shook off the thoughts of Robin’s grooming habits and concentrated on what he could see through the doors and walls.

Through the sliding door was some kind of workshop. About a dozen and a half teens stood around a long table, assembling bags of drugs. They didn't appear to be chained or restrained in any way, but there was a stiffness about them, like they were scared of making any sudden moves. Superboy counted five or so guards standing around, all lightly armed, some of them not even paying attention to the teens, playing on their phones instead.

Superboy relayed what he saw. Robin frowned and went quiet for a moment, clearly trying to think of a plan. “We should regroup,” he said, “Get back to HQ and tell them what we found, then come up with an extraction plan.”

“What? No way,” Wonder Girl said, “We have no idea what they might do to those teens, especially if they suspect that they’ve been made. We have to rescue them now.”

“This is a recon mission,” Robin pointed out, “We’re not even supposed to be  _ here _ .”

“I’m with Wonder Girl,” Blue Beetle said, “We should get those kids out of here.”

“We have no evidence to suggest that they’re in any danger. All the missing teens have turned up safe and sound,” Robin said, “And we still don't know how they’re memories were erased. There might be a telepath sitting around that will wipe our brains if we get too close.”

“If there’s a telepath around, then we’ve probably already been made,” Arsenal said, “Plus, you said yourself that this was a test. Why not go above and beyond? Exceed their expectations.”

“Poetic justice,” Impulse said, grinning and bouncing on his heels.

“Just like the original Team,” Superboy said, “They went in on their own and proved themselves to the League, now it’s our turn.”

Robin looked to them, then let out a lengthy sigh. “Fine, but we have to be smart about this,” he said, “We’re going to need a distraction.” He paused, considering something. “Hey Arsenal, feel like blowing something up?”

Arsenal grinned widely. “I thought you’d never ask.”

* * *

When the dust had settled, the entire west side of the warehouse complex had been leveled, but no one was hurt. They led the teens outside into the night air, making sure everyone was alright while they waited for the Team to come down on their heads. It was a warm night, they were in a desert somewhere, probably New Mexico if Robin had to guess, so it wouldn’t be long until they were found. Thankfully no one had been injured in the fray, but they were all very dusty.

“Thanks,” a young girl said as Robin came around to check on her and the other teens. “For getting us out of there.”

“Just doing our job,” Robin said, mentally calculating how much trouble he’d be in with Batman, if not Nightwing.

“Hell of a job,” the girl said with a wry, tired smile.

Robin hummed, looking out over his team and the destruction they’d caused. Ultimately they’d probably done the right thing, but he couldn't help but worry.

“You okay?” A voice said next to Robin’s shoulder, startling him. Superboy watched him closely, concern on his face. “Robin?”

“I’m fine,” Robin assured him, “Just talking to…?”

“Noriko,” the girl said, smiling up at Superboy. Robin could see her cheeks glow even in the dark, a common reaction teenaged girls (and some boys) had to the Super.

Superboy flashed a winning smile. “Nice to meet you Noriko. Sorry it wasn’t under better circumstances,” he said, reaching his hand out for her to shake.

Noriko took his hand quickly, eager. “It’s alright,” she said, “It’s an honour to get rescued by  _ you _ , Superboy.”

Superboy smiled, not that sort of ‘aw shucks’ smile Superman might have had, but a little more flirty, a bit less innocent. “Glad to hear it,” he said.

“We should check on everyone else,” Robin said, interrupting before things could go further. “Make sure no one is hurt. See if anyone needs medical attention.”

Superboy looked to him. “Yeah, good idea. There might be some supplies in the warehouse. Water and stuff.” He turned back to Noriko. “You know if where they kept the food in that place?”

Noriko shook her head. “They brought food and water to us, we never went anywhere but the lab or our cells. There are a couple of kids who went out in the streets to deliver the drugs, but I don’t think they saw anything.”

“Why don't we go take a look, see if we can’t find anything,” Robin said, heading back towards the warehouse, motioning for Superboy to follow him. “There must be a kitchen somewhere.”

“Sure,” Superboy said, following behind Robin, smiling brightly.

The building had stopped smoking by now, but there was probably some structural damage, so they picked their way through the halls carefully. It didn't take them very long to find the kitchen, which was woefully empty of any food that was readily handed out to a bunch of teens, but there was water, so they filled as many cups and pitchers as they could find before heading back outside.

“This is one of those times when my tactile telekinesis comes in pretty handy, don't you think?” Superboy said, balancing the many glasses of water perfectly, despite their improbable towering.

Robin hummed, not really paying attention. Superboy pouted a little, put out by Robin refusing to engage with him. They walked back through the halls a little more carefully, not wanting to drop the water.

“So movie night,” Superboy said suddenly, interjecting into the silence. “We’re going to have another one soon. Invite still stands.”

Robin hoisted the pitchers up a little. “That’s alright,” he said, almost on automatic.

Superboy scowled. “Dude, what’s your issue?” He asked, “Do you not like us?”

Robin pulled up short so suddenly that Superboy almost knocked into him. “Why would you think that?” Robin asked, looking to Superboy. Just because he knew the others were only being polite didn't mean he didn't think they weren’t great. He wished he could be their friend, but it would just be too complicated with his secret identity, and he didn’t have much to offer anyway.

“You never want to hang out with us,” Superboy said, tossing his head to get a lock of hair out of his face. He looked away from Robin, like he was embarrassed; Robin could almost imagine his cheeks going a little pink. “Was it something we did?  _ I  _ did?”

“No, of course not,” Tim said, “It’s just…” he searched for the right words, biting his lip. “I’m not very good company,” he said.

Superboy looked at him, alien blue eyes penetrating, like he was trying to look right through Tim’s defenses. “Shouldn’t we be the ones to determine that?”

Tim looked up at Superboy, surprised by his words. He tilted his head, trying to determine if Superboy actually meant it. Before he could say anything to that, Superboy cut him off. “Come on, just try and hang with us?” he weedled, “I promise if you really don't like us we won’t bug you about it.”

Tim tried to think of something to counter that with. Superboy looked so eager and honest about it, it was hard to even think of saying no. Robin let out a sigh. “Alright,” he said, wondering how much he was going to regret getting himself into this.

Superboy smiled brightly. “Awesome!” he exclaimed, bouncing where he stood. His telekinetic grip on the tower of cups wavered slightly and before Superboy could correct it, the top cup toppled off and bounced off his head, dousing him in water.

Superboy looked so stunned by the drenching that Tim burst into laughter. He couldn’t help it, the giggles bubbled up from his abdomen and shook his whole body. He nearly doubled over with the force of them, trying to keep the presence of mind not to upend his pitchers of water.

“You have a cute laugh,” Superboy said suddenly, cutting through Tim’s giggling.

Tim’s laughter choked off in his throat. He felt his face heat and prayed the dim light hid it. Superboy was smiling at him, no hint of teasing in his expression. Tim could almost imagine that his cheek were pink as well.

Robin coughed. “Come on, we should get this water to everyone outside,” he said, turning and walking briskly down the corridor.

“Sure thing, fearless leader,” Superboy said, following close behind, still smiling widely.

The captive teens were grateful for the water, though the others on the Team laughed at Superboy’s drenched hair. Arsenal laughed quite obnoxiously until Superboy shook his hair out next to him, raining water droplets over him.

Not long after, there was the tell-tale whistle in the air as the Bioship arrived at their location. Nightwing, Guardian, Bumblebee, and Aqualad stepped out, taking in the cluster of teens gawking at them and the partially exploded warehouse.

“What part of ‘ _ don’t _ blow anything up’ did you miss?” Nightwing asked, raising an eyebrow under his mask.

“The ‘don’t’ part,” Arsenal quipped back, sending the others into hastily stifled giggles. Even Bumblebee let out a snort.

Nightwing sighed, but then he smiled. “Guess we can’t fault you for something that happened to us. A  _ lot _ ,” he said, “Good work Team.”

Robin felt himself relax slightly, relieved that they weren’t going to get in trouble. Superboy smiled and nudged him with his elbow. Maybe this wasn't going to be terrible after all.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Conner is a sweety and Tim needs to learn that people can actually like him for him. Hopefully these things can go hand in hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So it's been a while! Honestly, I wrestled with this quite a lot, especially the ending of this chapter, mostly because of conflicting feelings over how I wanted this fic to go, which I'll get into in a minute. I finally figured it out though, and I managed to get this finished finally.
> 
> So the new season of YJ is out now, and I have to be honest with you, I'm very not interested in it. I think I got to halfway through the first episode (the scene where Conner proposes to M'Gann) and I just fucking closed the window. I honestly don't care about the TV show anymore. It was one of the things that got me into DC in the first place, but now that I know about the comics and am more familiar with the (pre52) characters, my appreciation for the cartoon has gone down (However, I just watched Reign of the Supermen, and let me tell you, they got my baby Superboy so much more right than YJ ever did. Please watch it). That being said, I'm going to continue this, but with a lot less plot than I had planned originally; I'm going to stick to the cute love story. There were a few plot things I was going to incorporate from the original YJ comics, but I think I'll skip the and focus on Tim and Kon and their relationship.
> 
> Special thanks to my lovely teasdays for beta reading.

As it turned out, the kidnappers were part of a new drug cartel, using teleportation devices to transport teens to work in the labs and then to different cities to deliver the drugs. After a few weeks, the victims would have their memory wiped by a low level telepath and be sent home. The authorities had been so perplexed by the disappearance and reappearance of the kids that they had hardly suspected a drug ring. Regular-looking teens didn't attract much attention wherever they went, so no one suspected them of anything more than some light teen delinquency at best. It was also a never-ending supply of workers, most of whom were still at a stage in their life where they were conditioned to follow authority figures. Any kids who showed signs of rebellion were simply mind-wiped and sent home. Tim had to admit, it was quite an ingenious strategy.

After that mission, the seven of them were put on several more missions together, either in smaller groups or all of them as one larger unit. More often than not, Robin was placed as the leader. He did fine as leader for the most part, but no matter what he did, there was an undercurrent of tension, most notably from Arsenal. For some reason, Roy took exception to Robin’s leadership; the issue was not always his plans, but more often that  _ he _ was the one making them. Sometimes he wouldn't budge on a plan until one of the others, usually Wonder Girl, got him to be more reasonable.

Robin probably would have ignored it, but it was starting to bleed into the tentative new bonds he was just starting to form with the Team. Kon had convinced him to try hanging out with them, and Tim was slowly getting used to the idea that these people might be his friends, at least for while he was Robin. Tim attempted to keep out of Roy’s way, but it was difficult when the other boy seemed like he was looking for trouble with Robin.

It was a slow day for the Team—at least it was for the seven of them—so they were all hanging out at the Watchtower’s pool. It had mostly been installed for any Atlanteans in the League and for those who liked to swim laps as part of their workout, but it was also used for recreation, especially now that the Team was also using the Tower. Kon and the others were having a grand time splashing around, but Tim kept to the side, clicking away at a laptop, half-heartedly working on something for Batman.

Kon swam to the edge of the pool and stared at Robin until he looked up. “Yes?” Robin asked.

“You sure you don't want to come in?” Kon asked, “You can keep your mask on if that’s what you're worried about.”

Tim scraped a fleck of dirt off his laptop. “I’m fine. Thank you, though.”

Kon huffed, blowing out his cheeks. “Can you not swim?” he asked.

“I can swim,” Robin said. Sensing Kon wasn’t about to go away without a proper excuse, Tim turned to him and gave him a smile. “I don’t have a swimsuit with me,” he said.

“So?” Kon said, “Just swim in your shorts. No one is going to judge you. Gar doesn't have any trunks.”

“Gar is a seal at the moment,” Robin pointed out. Beast Boy helpfully punctuated this by leaping out of the water with a splash.

“If he doesn’t want to swim, he doesn’t have to,” Cassie called, swimming over to try and drag Kon back out into the water.

“Yeah, if the little prince thinks he’s too good to swim with the rest of us, leave him be,” Roy said, snidely curling his lip.

Tim held in a sigh, but Kon turned on Roy. “Dude,  _ what _ is your deal?” he asked.

“It’s fine,” Tim said softly, not wanting anyone to fight over him.

“It’s  _ not _ fine,” Kon said, “Roy, you’ve had it out for Robin for weeks now. What the hell?”

Roy growled. “My  _ deal _ is, why the hell is  _ he _ always the one in charge?”

“Robin is a good leader,” Kon defended.

“His strategies are really good,” Jaime agreed. “We haven’t had a failed mission under him.”

“Yeah  _ sure _ , but why is it  _ always _ him?” Roy insisted, “Why haven’t any of us been tried out for the leadership? It was just automatically Robin.” He narrowed his eyes at Robin. “Smells a bit like nepotism to me.”

Tim’s throat constricted. “I… That isn’t anything  _ I _ can control,” he said, “You’ll have to bring it up with Nightwing, or Batman.”

Roy scoffed. “Like they’ll do anything about it. Wouldn’t want to undermine the dynasty.”

“Roy, you’re not being fair,” Jaime said, “Robin’s a good leader. I don't get why you have such a problem with him.”

“Maybe we should just get back to the game?” Gar suggested, looking a little nervous.

“Yeah, come on,” Bart said, “We’re supposed to be having fun.”

For a second it seemed like Roy would back down, leave it for another day, but then he looked back at Robin. “Why don’t you join us, Robin?”

Tim looked up, knowing he was being led into a trap. “I don’t have a swimsuit,” he said.

“So? You heard us earlier, we don’t give a shit,” Roy said, coming to the side of the pool and hauling himself out of the water. “Unless it not that,” he said, slowly advancing on Tim, who scrambled up from his seat. “Unless you really do think you're  _ better _ than us,” Roy said, “What makes you the right person to lead us?”

Roy was right in Tim’s face now, but Tim didn't back down. Roy was bigger than Tim by a fair bit, but Tim knew he was better at close range fighting than Roy. If it came to blows, Tim would probably win, but Tim didn't want that. Putting Roy on his ass would be satisfying, but it wouldn't solve the issue, it would only make it worse.

“Come on,” Roy said impatiently, “What makes you so damn  _ special _ ?” he said, punctuating his sentence by giving Tim a shove in the chest.

“Alright, cool it!” Cassie called, leaping out of the pool and getting between the two boys, shoving Roy back a ways. “Roy, knock it off. You’re only making yourself look like an asshole.”

“No,” Tim said, “Arsenal has a point.”

The pool went quiet, and everyone turned to stare at Tim. “I  _ was _ put in a leadership position because of my legacy. Batman, Nightwing, I’m expected to be a leader like they are.”

“Come on Rob, it’s not like that,” Jaime said, “You’re a good leader.”

“Yeah man, you’re gonna be great,” Bart said, “Trust me.”

Tim shook his head. “Whether or not I’m  _ good _ at leading has nothing to do with having been handed the position without considering anyone else,” he said, “I haven’t earned this position, and I haven’t earned your respect.”

For a minute, no one spoke, only looked at Robin in mute surprise. Roy especially seemed shocked, but he hardened his gaze after a moment and took a step forward. “So? What are you going to do about it?”

“Roy,” Cassie groaned, “Why are you like this?”

Roy pushed past her. “You think you can just  _ say _ all this and it’s all good?” he asked, “No. You said you haven’t earned our trust? So what are you going to do to fix that?”

He got close to Robin again. Tim stared up at him, looking into his blue eyes and trying not to be distracted by the fact that Roy was mostly naked and dripping wet. Roy glared down at him, having nearly two inches of height over Tim; he cut quite the intimidating figure next to Tim.

“What are you going to do to prove you're one of us?” Roy growled, and Tim couldn’t help a little internal shiver.

“I… I don’t know,” Tim admitted.

Roy scoffed, finally backing off. “Thought so.”

“Alright, that’s it,” Kon said, flying out of the water and landing next to Roy. He grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. “I’ve had just about enough of your shitty attitude.”

Roy snarled and for a second it looked like it was about to come to blows before Cassie shoved herself between them, grabbing them both by the back of the neck. “Enough!” she shouted, “You’re all acting like children!”

“He started it!” Kon complained, trying ineffectually to wriggle out of Cassie’s grip.

“I don’t give a shit!” Cassie hissed, hauling them both up and tossing them into the pool. She waited until they came up sputtering to start yelling at them again. “Roy, if you don't stop acting like a whiny brat who didn't get his way, I’ll fold you in half backwards and tie your ankles to your ears. Kon, if you don’t stop trying to  _ fight _ anyone who so much as  _ looks _ at your boycrush wrong, I’ll throw you into the sun. Got it?”

“Boycrush? I don’t—that’s not—” Kon stuttered.

“Shut up!” Cassie shouted, kicking water into his face. “Now, both of you, apologize for being  _ stupid _ so we can get on with having a  _ nice fucking day _ .”

Under the threat of being folded in half backwards or thrown into the sun, Roy and Kon both mumbled apologies and drifted back into the pool. Cassie glared after them for a moment before turning to Tim.

“Ignore them,” she said, “They’re just a bunch of dumb teenage boys.”

“And what does that make me?” Tim asked, raising an eyebrow, but smiling slightly. “It’s alright. Roy does have a point.”

Cassie sighed. “Yeah, I guess, but he’s such a dick about it,” she said, “He just needs to give you a chance.”

“It’s not just him,” Tim said, “I think  _ I _ need to do something to get him to trust me.”

“You don't have to do anything,” Cassie said, “Roy just needs to get his head out of his ass.”

Tim picked up his tablet and fiddled with it. “Do you trust me?” he asked.

“Of course,” Cassie answered automatically.

“Do you?” Tim asked, “Really? With your life?”

Cassie hesitated for a moment, but it was enough for Tim to notice. “Maybe… if you told us your name at least?” she suggested.

Tim blew out a long sigh. “I… can’t do that,” he said. There was too much at stake; not only his secrets, but Batman and Nightwing as well.

Cassie sighed. “I understand, I guess,” she said, “You’ve been a good leader Robin. Roy will come around eventually. He’s just… it’s been hard for him.”

Tim glanced at Roy, who was tossing around a beach ball someone had brought with Jaime and Bart. His metal arm gleamed under the lights; Tim knew that once they were out of the water, Roy would have to spend a long time cleaning the salt out of the machinery and making sure everything was dry.

“I know,” Tim said, “But he still has a point.”

Cassie let out a shorter little sigh. “Well, maybe if you tried to bond with us a little more, we could get to know you better?”

Tim felt his stomach constrict. “That’s… you don’t really want to know me,” he said. Outside of being Robin, there wasn’t much about Tim that was extraordinary. He was just a normal person under the mask.

Cassie watched Tim for a moment, something soft and sad in her eyes. She reached over and rested her hand on his shoulder, her touch gentle even though she could crush mountains if she wanted. “We’d like you Robin, if you’d let us,” she said. She gave his shoulder one last squeeze before heading back to the pool.

Tim watched them for a while, mulling over the last few minutes, Roy’s words skittering across his brain. He didn't want to let the words affect him, but it was hard not to feel them slithering around his neck, choking him. Tim wanted to be an effective leader, he wanted to do well, just like Nightwing before him. But Dick had been friends with his Team, hadn’t he? Tim wasn’t exactly doing well on that front. A part of him whispered in his ear that it could only end in tragedy, that it wouldn't matter in a year or two anyways when he left Robin behind to go back to his normal life. Yet another part of him asked him if that wasn't enough. Wouldn’t it be better to enjoy it while it was there instead of staying on the sidelines waiting for it all to end? An even smaller part of him suggested that he didn't have to leave them behind if he ever quit Robin— _ if _ he ever quit—that he could be actual friends with these other kids.

Tim didn't like listening to that small voice. It felt too much like wishful thinking.

* * *

“Conner, please sit up straight at the dinner table,” Clark said.

Conner groaned dramatically, but did as his father asked. Clark refrained from commenting. He knew better by now than to try and pick a fight over a teenager’s attitude. That would only end badly.

Conner picked listlessly at his food, his mind occupied by Cassie’s words.  _ Boycrush, _ she’d said. Did he have a crush on Robin? That couldn’t be right, he just liked Robin and wanted to get to know him better. It wasn't like he wanted to kiss him or anything. Although, now that he thought about it, Robin did look like he had very soft lips. Did he use chapstick maybe? What would it taste like? Cherry maybe? Strawberry? Honey?

Realizing that he was imagining what it would be like to kiss Robin, Conner shook his head and tried to focus on his dinner. He shoveled a few mouthfuls of dinner into his mouth before Lois chuckled. “Slow down kiddo, don’t choke,” she said.

Conner made a production of chewing thoroughly and swallowing, but he ate slower at his mother’s request. He pushed a lone green bean around his plate, his mind drifting back to Robin. Even he was having a hard time figuring out why he was so interested in the other kid. It wasn't as though he didn't know others in the superhero community who kept more or less to themselves, maintaining things at a professional distance. It seemed like such a shame though, for someone like Robin to keep his distance. Conner could sense something in him, something lonely. Years of being coddled by Ma must have rubbed off on him, and now he wanted to try and take care of Robin.

Dinner finished up and Lois moved to take Jon out of his chair so she could struggle him into the bath. Clark started clearing the table, but Conner piped up. “Hey dad?”

“Yes?” Clark asked, piling the plates up.

“How old were you when you started thinking about… kissing?” Conner asked, looking anywhere that wasn’t his father.

The corner of Clark’s mouth quirked up. “Oh, about your age,” he said.

Conner pressed his lips together, trying to parse out the words before he actually said them. “Have you ever… have you ever thought about kissing boys?”

There was a clatter as Clark dropped a fork onto the top of the plates, an extended silence following. “Umm…” Clark hummed awkwardly, looking around at Lois for help.

Lois raised an eyebrow.  _ He asked you, you talk to him _ , she said with her eyes. She finished getting Jon out of his chair and left the room, stopping to run her fingers through Conner’s hair once. Clark took a deep breath to steady himself and set aside the plates he’d gathered to sit down across from Conner.

“Conner, do you think about kissing boys?” he asked calmly.

Conner shrugged. “I guess,” he said, “Sometimes. I think about girls too.”

Clark nodded. “Alright,” he said. He cleared his throat. “Conner, no matter who you want to kiss, that’s completely fine. Boys, girls, or whatever in between. We love you no matter what.”

Conner rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I already knew  _ that _ ,” he said, “I was just asking if you’d ever thought about kissing a boy.”

“Oh,” Clark said, relief flooding through him. “Um, I can’t say that I have. Maybe once or twice,” he said, thinking about it.

“Right,” Conner said, “So it’s normal to think about kissing a boy?”

_ A boy _ , Clark noticed the singular. Was there someone Conner was thinking about specifically? “Completely normal. Do you only think about kissing him?” he asked.

Conner groaned and threw his head back dramatically, sliding down on his chair. “I keep thinking about his lips. They look really soft. His hair too. I wonder what shampoo he uses.”

_ Oh no _ , Clark thought, hiding a smile.  _ Poor kid has it bad _ . “Have you talked to him at all?”

Conner tossed his arms up. “I’ve tried! But it’s like trying to pry teeth out of chicken. He  _ never _ wants to hang out with the rest of us.” He huffed and crossed his arms, pouting. “Maybe he just doesn’t like me.”

_ Someone on the Team _ , Clark realized. “I’m sure he likes you, you’re a very wonderful young man,” he said.

“You’re my dad, you have to say that,” Conner scoffed, still pouting. “I just don't know what to do. I… I think I really like him.”

Clark smiled and stood up, crossing around to the other side of the table and bending to press a kiss to Conner’s forehead. “I’m sure it’ll all work out,” he said, “Even if he doesn’t like you like that, I’m sure he likes you anyway.”

Conner grumbled, but leaned into his father. Clark squeezed his shoulder. “Come on, help me clear the table before your mother comes out to yell at us.”

“Psh, yell at  _ you _ maybe,” Conner said, getting up to start piling dishes.

“For that, you can wash,” Clark said, poking Conner in the ribs before helping him clear the table. Conner gave a dramatic groan, but Clark wasn't swayed.

“Hey dad?” Conner called as they were bringing everything into the kitchen.

“Hm?” Clark inclined his head slightly.

Conner shuffled his feet a little. “Thanks.”

Clark smiled softly. “You’re welcome, son.”

* * *

Tim probably should have been in bed hours ago, but he couldn’t quiet his mind. He kept thinking about what Roy had said at the pool.  _ What are you going to do to prove you're one of us? _ he’d asked. Tim had chased the idea around in his mind for days, trying to come up with an answer, but he couldn't seem to come up with anything. Being an effective leader wasn't enough, and Robin couldn't let them get too close to ‘Tim’ without risking Dick and Bruce.

Tim groaned and rubbed his eyes, rolling over to try and find a more comfortable position on the bed. He was staying at the Manor for once instead of going home after patrol; his parents hadn’t come back from wherever they were now, so there was no real reason to go back to that big empty house, especially since he was sure to get a hot breakfast if he stayed at the Manor. Tim was finding that he was actually starting to sleep better while he was at the Manor. Even still, he couldn't seem to relax enough to drift off tonight.

With a huff, Tim threw off his covers and got up. Maybe a warm drink would help get him to relax and finally get some sleep. Wandering through the winding halls of the Manor, Tim made his way to the kitchen, only to find Dick already sitting at the kitchen island, eating a bowl of cereal and scrolling through his phone.

Dick looked up as Tim walked in. “Hey kid, can’t sleep?” he asked.

Tim nodded. “I was going to see if there was something warm I could drink to help,” he said.

Dick smiled. “I think Alfred has some herbal tea tucked away somewhere,” he said, getting up to begin rifling through the cupboards.

“I can get it, you don't have to,” Tim said, moving to take over, but Dick waved him away and gestured for him to sit.

“It’s fine, I’m already doing it,” Dick said cheerfully. There was a beat where Tim stood awkwardly in the kitchen before Dick told him, “You can put the kettle on if you want.”

Tim nodded and hurried to get the kettle started, feeling relieved. Once the kettle was going, Dick emerged from the cabinet with a canister of herbal tea and a mug.

“Here we go,” Dick said, setting about preparing the tea. “You want sugar? Honey?”

“I can do it,” Tim insisted, going to the pantry before Dick could object. He brought out the honey and set it down on the counter for later. He sat down at the kitchen island across from where Dick had been sitting.

Once the tea was prepared, Dick set the mug in front of Tim and sat back down. They sat in companionable silence for a while before Dick finally said something. “Something on your mind?” he asked.

Tim looked up. “What makes you think there’s something on my mind?” he countered.

“The fact that you're awake in the middle of the night,” Dick pointed out, “Plus, you have that little wrinkle between your eyebrows again.” He reached over and tapped the spot between Tim’s brows. “You’re worrying about something.”

Tim rubbed his forehead where dick had tapped it. “I’m fine, it’s nothing,” he said, “I’ll figure it out.”

“So there  _ is _ something,” Dick said, grinning. “Come on, you can tell big brother Dick all about it. I’ve got tons of sage advice for young superheroes on the cusp of manhood.”

“Please stop talking,” Tim said, but he was laughing. Comfortable silence settled again. “Dick… you were friends with the first Team, right?”

Dick raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, of course. Why?”

Tim busied himself for a moment rearranging the sugar, salt, and pepper on the counter. “Sometimes, when I’m with the Team… I feel like an outsider,” he said, “Like I’m not really part of the group. Sure, I’m the leader, and we all spend time together, but I don’t… I can’t relax around them.”

Dick let out a small sigh. “Tim, I know you take your work as Robin very seriously, and that’s great, I’m honestly so proud of you,” he said, “But I’m worried that you're taking it  _ too _ seriously. Even Bruce makes friends on the Justice League.”

“I know,” Tim said, “But you never worried about anyone getting too close? Learning your secret identity?”

Dick shrugged. “Most of the Team knows who I am by now anyway, same story for Bruce. You’re really not in much danger here, Tim. Besides, most of the other kids on your team have secret identities of their own to keep on the down-low. I’m sure Bruce wouldn’t mind if you hung out with them in your civvies.”

Tim sighed, wondering how he could explain it to Dick, that he wasn't expecting to be Robin forever, that he figured he’d probably go back to being plain old Tim one day. He wasn't like the others, he still had his parents to go back to eventually, a legacy to one day take over his father’s company, get married to a proper woman and shove out a couple of heirs. He had a responsibility to his family. Robin was just… a detour.

“Sure,” Tim said, “But I don’t think they’d like me much.”

“Aw, don’t say that Tim,” Dick said, “I’m sure they’ll like you. You're very likable.”

“Roy doesn’t,” Tim grumbled into his tea mug.

Dick sighed. “Roy has always been a little abrasive,” he said, then winced. “Well, the one I knew anyway. I imagine this one is similar. Possibly worse for the whole… cloning thing,” he said with a grimace. He refocused back on Tim. “But he’ll come around eventually. Besides, I think Superboy likes you.”

Tim felt his cheeks flush. “Superboy likes everyone,” he said, “He’s just nice like that.”

“Mm-hm,” Dick hummed, smiling knowingly at Tim. “Don’t worry so much about Roy. He’s a hothead, but he appreciates a well crafted prank. Seriously, pull off a well thought out shenanigan and you’ll gain his respect for life.” Dick stood and started to clean up his dishes.

Tim nodded, mind already turning over as he put away his mug. He never really got to play any ‘pranks’ on anyone, and he didn’t think Roy would appreciate getting made fun of, least of all by him. However, Tim was pretty sure he could think of something that would qualify as a ‘shenanigan’, as Dick had put it.

_ What are you going to do to prove you’re one of us? _ Tim glanced in the direction of the library where the clock entrance to the Cave was, thinking of the little ‘emergency’ plan he’d come up with. He hadn’t come up with it for the purpose of shenanigans  _ per se _ , but it would probably do the trick.

Now all he had to do was pull it off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tim, what do you have planned?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got really stuck on how to end this, whether or not I wanted to continue with the next scene or not, but I figured I was already long enough and I could leave it for the next chapter.
> 
> Once again thank you Ari for your editing (and commentary). I love you sweety~

It didn't take long before Tim was able to put his plan into action. It would be tricky, but with a little luck he’d be able to pull it off.

First thing he had to do was make sure his audience would be there.

After training one day, Robin waited until their instructors—Black Canary and Green Arrow—were completely gone before he approached the others. Superboy immediately noticed him walking over, and smiled brightly.

“Hey Robin, you going to join us for movie night?” he asked eagerly.

_ He’s nice to everyone _ , Tim reminded himself. “Actually, I was going to invite you guys to Gotham tonight.”

Everyone perked up at that. “To Gotham?” Jaime asked, sounding both intrigued and apprehensive.

“What for?” Roy asked suspiciously, crossing his arms.

“Just a little… outing,” Robin said. “Do you want to come or not?”

“Yeah!” Kon exclaimed, “Of course we want to come! Let’s go!”

“Ah, not yet,” Robin said, shifting his weight. “I need to prepare a few things before you come, so it will have to be after midnight.”

“What sort of things?” Cassie asked, raising an eyebrow.

Robin couldn't hide a grin. “You’ll see,” he said.

With a few more vague reassurances and a general time and place to meet him at in Gotham, Robin took his leave. He had a lot of work to do if he wanted to pull this off.

Tim went back to the Cave, determined to get this right. For the rest of the night he busied himself with finishing his paperwork, declining to go out on patrol with Nightwing, citing an upset stomach. He made sure to turn in early, that everyone noticed him make his way up to sleep, that they  _ didn’t _ notice the way he hacked into the Cave’s security cameras. Tim waited patiently for Nightwing to return, for Alfred to go to bed, and for Batgirl to head home. Once Tim was sure that the Cave was clear, he snuck his way down.

Batman was overseas for the next two days, investigating something gang related in Chechnya, and Alfred had a habit of leaving certain things to be cleaned the day before Bruce returned.

This included the Batmobile.

Tim had to be extremely careful; one wrong move and he’d set off the security alarm, alerting Bruce and Alfred to what he was trying to do. Tim had studied the alarms weeks ago with honest-to-goodness good intentions. If he ever needed the Batmobile for something and couldn't get Batman’s permission, he should know how to access it. Taking the Batmobile out joyriding to impress his Team and make friends probably didn't count as an  _ emergency _ , but it would only matter if Tim got caught, which he had no plans of doing.

Tim put the last code in and carefully counted to ten before keying in the override. A moment passed in silence and Tim let out the breath he’d been holding; the alarms hadn’t gone off. Smiling widely, Tim opened the door and hopped inside.

The Batmobile was an absolute tank of a car, state-of-the-art and extremely difficult to drive. Tim had made sure to pay attention to Batman when he drove, mostly out of curiosity. After adjusting the driver’s seat (adjusting it a  _ lot _ ), Tim turned it on. The Batmobile came to life with a rumbling growl, and Tim couldn’t help the slightly hysterical laugh that escaped as he drove out of the Cave.

The Team was going to  _ love _ this.

* * *

“He’s late,” Roy growled.

“He’ll be here,” Kon said confidently, “He probably just got caught up.”

“He did say this was the place, right?” Gar asked, looking around the mostly abandoned lot they were in.

“This is the address Robin gave us,” Cassie said, checking the slip of paper. “He’s probably on his way.”

Roy scoffed. “He’s probably decided to leave us in the lurch,” he said, “We should just go.”

“If you don't want to be here man, you don’t have to be,” Jaime said.

“Yeah man, why do have such a beef with Rob?” Bart asked, “What did he do to you?”

Roy grumbled something indistinct and crossed his arms. Silence settled over them for a few minutes, broken only by the distant sounds of the city. After almost five minutes, Roy threw up his arms.

“That’s it!” He shouted, “I’m not waiting anymore. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

Just as Roy was stepping down from the curb, distinct rumble reached their ears, and it wasn’t a moment later that the  _ Batmobile _ stopped in front of them, causing Roy to have to step back up onto the curb. For a second they all stared in disbelief.

“Is that—?” Jaime asked, watching the sleek black car with trepidation, like the Dark Knight himself was about to step out of it and glare them into oblivion.

The window rolled down and Robin stuck his head out, his face split by a wide grin. “Get in losers, we’re going shopping.”

Kon’s jaw dropped. Whatever any of them had been expecting, it certainly hadn’t even come  _ close _ to this.

“This is so crash!” Bart shouted, zipping around the car to inspect it from every angle.

“Dude, how the heck did you get Batman to let you take this out?” Gar asked, slowly approaching the car like he was afraid to even touch it.

Robin pulled himself out of the window to sit in the gap. “‘Let’ might be a strong word for it,” he said, still grinning.

It took Kon a moment to figure out what Robin meant by that, but Cassie was slightly faster. “Did you  _ hijack _ the Batmobile?” she asked, voice reaching a pitch that made dogs bark.

Robin shrugged, the shit-eating grin not budging from his face. “What he doesn’t know won’t kill us,” he said.

They all looked at Robin in a stunned stupor. After a moment Roy threw back his head and laughed, having to lean against the fence of the empty lot to keep himself upright he was shaking so hard.

“Damn,” he said, wiping a tear from his eye. “I never thought I’d say this, but you’ve got some balls, Robin.” He reached over and punched Robin in the shoulder good naturedly. “Not bad, o’ fearless leader.”

Robin smiled something a little more genuine for a moment, then it morphed back into something devious. “Want to take her for a ride?”

The glee in Roy’s eyes was honestly slightly worrying.

Robin banned each and every one of them from the driver’s seat. “I may have jacked this thing, but I’m not  _ crazy _ ,” he said, still grinning. They all piled into the car, Roy in the front passenger seat, watching everything Robin did with interest. Gar turned into a snake and curled himself around Roy’s neck.

“Why don’t you sit in the cupholder or something?” Roy asked, adjusting Gar so they were both more comfortable.

“Can’t sssssee from there,” Gar hissed, all but snuggling around Roy’s neck.

Roy grumbled but made no move to pull Gar away. The others all piled in the back, slightly squished together despite the extra room Robin gave them from having his seat forward so much. Kon ended up behind Roy, Cassie sitting on his lap, while Jaime and Bart shared the other seat. Kon had a good vantage point to watch Robin as he laughed and joked with the others, finally looking comfortable with them.

“Okay, everyone hold on,” Robin said, starting the engine. The massive car roared to life, rumbling like the purr of a big cat.

Roy whistled and ran an appreciative hand over the dash. “Damn, daddy  _ like _ ,” he said.

“Don’t touch anything,” Robin warned, “ _ Nobody _ touch anything. This thing has a bunch of things in it that are very dangerous if you fiddle with them, and Batman will  _ know _ if things get messed with.”

Roy huffed and pulled his hands off the dash to make jazz hands before settling them in his lap. Robin rolled his eyes before tearing out of the lot, throwing everyone to the side of the car just to show off. Roy whooped as they sped through the streets, the beast of a car proving to be surprisingly maneuverable. Robin couldn't help but laugh as everyone in the car shrieked and cheered as he took them through Gotham the way only the Bat could usually travel.

Eventually Robin took them to the outskirts of town, speeding along the long stretches of dirt and gravel road with more gusto than he might have attempted in the city. The others screeched and scrambled to hold onto anything they could reach as the world whipped past them in a blur. Robin laughed and finally slowed down, bringing them down to a more leisurely pace.

“You’re crazy,” Roy laughed, leaning over to push Robin in the shoulder.

“Careful, I’m driving,” Robin chastised, but he was smiling, bright and warm, at Roy. Kon watched them intently, feeling something hot and ugly curl through his stomach.

They drove for a while longer, taking back roads and little known trails through the woods in the outskirts of Gotham. At one point, one side of the road dropped away to a cliffside, and the city of Gotham sparkled in front of them.

“Wow,” Cassie said, shifting on Kon’s lap, “It’s actually really pretty from this high up.”

“I know a place where you can see the whole city,” Robin said, “I’ll take us there.”

Robin had only just turned down a road when seemingly out of nowhere, a fox darted across the road. Robin yelped and slammed on the brakes, swerving when it was clear they weren’t going to be able to stop in time. Someone screamed as they ran into the ditch, the steep slope tossing them around until they slammed to a stop against a solid tree.

For several seconds, the only sound was seven sets of lungs breathing harshly as the reality of the situation settled around them. They sitting at a hard angle, crushing Kon against the door, the other four leaning hard against him. A branch broke off from the tree and clattered against the roof, causing Jaime to yelp in surprise.

“Is everyone okay?” Kon asked, gently feeling across Cassie’s head to make sure she hadn’t smacked it against the window or ceiling.

“I think sssso,” Gar said, slithering limply from Roy’s neck.

“I’m dead,” Robin groaned, sagging against his seat belt. Kon almost panicked before Robin spoke again. “Batman is going to kill me.”

“Not before I do!” Jaime hissed, slightly manic. “We coulda died! ¡Mi vida brilló ante mis ojos!”

“That was so crash!” Bart giggled, somewhat hysterically. “Literally!”

Cassie groaned and tried to sit up, crushing Kon slightly. “Should we call someone?”

Robin jerked up. “No! Oh God, what would we even  _ say _ ? ‘Hello police? Hi this is Robin and I crashed the Batmobile, which I  _ stole _ to take my friends joyriding.’ The kind of trouble we’d be in… I’d be fired for sure.”

“Okay okay, calm down,” Cassie said, reaching over to grip Robin’s shoulder as he started to breathe a little heavily. “Maybe it’s not so bad?”

After a bit of maneuvering and a lot of crawling over one another, they managed to get out of the car and back up onto the road. They peered down at the car in the ditch; the tree had been ripped partially out of the ground, it’s bark and wood crushed and splintered where the car had hit it, but the Batmobile hardly looked scratched.

Roy whistled and leaned over to get a better look. “That’s a very solid car. What’s it made out of?”

Robin was too busy pacing back and forth to answer him. Kon could hear his heart going a mile a minute. “We’re dead, we’re in so much trouble. I’m going to be fired. It hasn’t even been a  _ year _ since I started. Batman is going to be so  _ mad _ ,” he rambled. His heart rate jumped up and he started breathing heavily.

Kon could see the panic attack starting to settle in. “Hey hey,” he said, darting over and wrapping his arms around Robin’s small shoulders, rubbing his back vigorously to try and keep him in the present. “It’s gonna be okay, it’s okay. Hey? It’s fine, we can fix it.”

“How?” Robin asked, still shaking himself to pieces. “The car is in a  _ ditch _ and we can’t call anyone. What are we going to do?”

Kon bit his lip and looked around, finally spying Cassie talking to Gar, checking him for injuries. “We can lift it out,” Kon said, “Me and Cassie.”

The others looked up. “Would that work?” Jaime asked.

Kon scoffed. “I can toss a building over my head and I can’t lift a car out of the ditch? You wound me.”

Jaime rolled his eyes, but seemed to concede to Kon’s point. Cassie gave Gar a pat on the back and went back to where the car was still in the ditch, peering down intently.

“Between the two of us, we could get it out,” she said with a nod. She straightened and turned to Kon. “Give me a hand?”

“Sure thing, gorgeous,” Kon said, getting ready to take a step before he realized that he was still holding Robin in his arms. He felt himself flush a little and let him go with a cough. He patted Robin’s shoulder and flashed him a kind, reassuring smile before going over join Cassie at the side of the ditch.

“You grab the front end and I’ll grab the back,” Cassie said, determination set into her face. Kon nodded and did as he was told, taking a firm hold of the front end of the massive car.

Cassie grabbed the back and braced herself against the ground. “On the count of three, we lift it up and carry it out,” she said.

“On three or after three?” Kon asked, just to be a jerk.

Cassie glared at him and started counting. On three, they hauled the car out of the dirt. It wobbled slightly in their grip until Kon stabilized with his TTK. Together, they carefully carried the Batmobile out of the ditch and back onto the road, Robin practically vibrating with nerves the whole time.

“Damn, there isn’t even a  _ mark _ ,” Roy said, inspecting the side of the car that had hit the tree. “Now I  _ really _ want to know what it’s made out of.”

“I don't know,” Robin said, circling around the car, trying to find any miniscule amount of damage that might get him trouble. There was nothing; he started to calm down a little. “If I ever find out I’ll let you know.”

After determining that the Batmobile was still fully operational, they climbed back in, Robin still in the driver’s seat.

“You okay to drive?” Roy asked, eyeing Robin’s white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. “I can take over if you’re not okay.”

“No, I’m fine,” Robin said, forcing himself to loosen his grip and taking several deep breaths. “Just a little shaken.”

Roy watched Robin for a few moments as they just sat there, the car not moving. He reached over and laid his hand on Robin’s bicep, squeezing slightly. “It’s okay if you’re not okay man. We get it.”

Robin turned and smiled a little shakily at Roy. Kon felt the ugly thing come back into his guts with a vengeance. “So uh,” he said, too loud and startling everyone. “Are we still heading out to the place you were talking about or are we heading back?”

“We should head back,” Jaime said, ever the voice of reason.

“We should totally go to the place!” Bart exclaimed, bouncing in Jaime’s lap. “Come on, we’re close right?”

Robin took a deep breath and seemed to calm down exponentially. “We can still go to the place. It’s not far from here.” He turned a smiled at them. Kon felt it go straight to his heart. “It really is a great view,” he said.

They drove much slower the rest of the way there, Robin taking turns much more cautiously. Finally, they came out to a clearing on the side of a cliff. Below them, Gotham was spread out, glittering in all her insane glory. They got out of the car to admire the view.

“Told you it was nice,” Robin said, smiling and hanging back slightly.

The others milled about, talking excitedly and getting the aches of shock out of their systems. Still Robin hung back, leaning against the car and watching them. Kon watched him for a few minutes before noticing that Roy was starting to make his way over to Robin. After an instant of panic, Kon excused himself from talking with Jaime, Bart, and Gar and jogged over to Robin, cutting Roy off before he could reach him.

Robin looked up at him, raising an eyebrow under his mask. Kon balked, his body having moved faster than his brain could keep up with and having nothing to say. “Uh… hey,” he said.

“Hey,” Robin said, the ghost of a smile twitching across his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah, fine,” Kon said, leaning against the car next to Robin. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Roy wander off to talk to Cassie. He relaxed a little. “Just coming to check on you.”

“Check on me?” Robin asked, “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, but you know…” Kon trailed off, “Just… making sure.”

Robin smiled this time. “I’m fine,” he assured, “A little shook up, but if we get the car back before sunrise it should be fine.”

Kon nodded; he couldn't decide what to do with his hands. He rested them against the Batmobile near his hips, then crossed his arms, before finally shoving them in his pockets. They sat in silence for a few seconds, Kon racking his brain for something to say while Robin seemed perfectly content to just sit there in the silence. He tilted his head up and hummed lightly.

“The stars are really nice tonight,” Robin said softly, like no one was listening. He seemed to remember last-minute that Kon was there and cleared his throat. “You don’t really get to see the stars in the city. There’s too much light pollution,” he clarified.

Kon looked up at the sky. A couple dozen stars flickered weakly in the night sky. “You should come out to Kansas sometime,” he said.

“Kansas?” Robin asked.

“My grandparents live out there, in this little nothing town,” Kon said, “On clear nights, there’s billions of stars in the sky.”

Robin hummed. “Sounds really nice,” he said, and Kon was maybe imagining the softness in his voice, but damn did it sound pretty.

“I can bring you over sometime,” Kon hurriedly continued, “Ma can make apple pie like no one else. Even Dad can’t make it the same as she can.”

Something crossed Robin’s face. “That’s… sweet of you to offer,” he said, “We should probably head back soon.”

Kon didn't want to head back. “Hey, you know how some stars we see aren’t really there?” he blurted out quickly.

Robin looked confused now. “Um, sure?”

“Like, there are some stars that blew up a long time ago, but we still see them because the light takes a really long time to get to earth?” Kon explained, “Well, you can still see Krypton sometimes.”

“Really?” Robin asked, interested now.

“Yeah,” Kon said, looking back up at the sky. “Around there usually.” He gestured to a blank patch of sky. “It has to be really clear to see it, but it’s there. Dad said it’ll be another thousand years or so before it fades away.”

“Wow,” Robin said, looking at the blank spot where Kon had pointed. “It must be something to see it.”

Kon shrugged. “Well, my Dad gets all choked up,” he said, “But I wasn’t born there, so it’s not like it was ever  _ my _ home, you know?”

Robin nodded, quiet. Kon looked back up where Krypton would have been in the sky. Kon wasn't wrong about the idea of Krypton not doing much for him, but it was more because he was certain that he wouldn't exist on Krypton. He was as human as he was Kryptonian, and earth was his home.

“It was cool of you to bring us out here,” Kon said after another stretch of silence. “I mean, stealing the  _ Batmobile _ was the kinda ballsy move I never would have expected from you.”

Robin laughed. “Oh yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah like, you don't seem like the reckless type,” Kon said, “It’s kinda awesome.”

Robin laughed again, and Kon wanted to swallow the sound. “Thanks,” he said through his giggles.

Kon couldn’t contain himself anymore; Robin was just too cute. He leaned down and quickly placed a kiss on Robin’s lips. Robin’s laugh cut off with a gasp of shock and he went as stiff as a board. Kon lingered for a moment before pulling away, keeping his face close enough to see the outline of Robin’s wide eyes through the lenses of his mask.

“Superboy,” Robin’s voice trembled.

“Robin,” Kon breathed, “I—”

“We should head back,” Robin said quickly, pulling himself away. “It’s getting close to sunrise.”

It was four hours until sunrise, but Robin busied himself rounding up the others to leave before Kon could point that out. It wasn’t long before they were all squeezed back into the Batmobile, Robin driving at a cautious pace down the mountain. He very carefully didn't look back at Kon in the backseat.

“Hey, I didn’t get a chance to say earlier,” Roy said, leaning over to talk quietly with Robin. “But I wanted to say sorry. I’ve been a jerk to you.”

“It’s okay,” Robin said, “You made some good points.”

“Sure, but that doesn’t make it okay,” Roy said, “I’ve just been…” he trailed off, trying to come up with the words.

“It’s fine, I understand,” Robin said, “You don't need to talk about it if you can’t.”

Roy paused, looking a little shocked. “Thanks,” he said quietly. He sat back against the door and looked out the window for the rest of the drive. Kon watched the whole exchange with a thudding heart.

Robin had told them he was going to drop them off near the same Zeta tube where he’d picked them up so they could all go their separate ways. He pulled into the empty lot and stopped, though he left it idling.

“Alright, this is where you guys get off,” he said, opening the doors.

“This was fun,” Cassie said, “Aside from the crash, that is.”

“We should do this again!” Bart said, hopping out of the car and zipping around it a few times.

“We’re not doing this again,” Robin said, “There’s not a chance I’ll get away with this twice.”

“Especially since you didn't even get away with it  _ this _ time,” came a growly voice from the shadows.

A shadow dropped from above, landing on the hood of the idling Batmobile and startling Gar so badly he stumbled backwards and fell on his ass. Robin’s heart slammed into the back of his throat as Batman straightened looking down at the group of them, frozen in shock and fear. Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Aqualad materialized from the shadows, all of them with stern expressions on their faces.

“Oh man,” Robin mumbled, looking like he was about to puke.

Batman stared down at Robin, who seemed to shrink under his gaze. Kon resolutely didn't make eye contact with Superman, who was floating a few meters above the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. Jaime looked like he was two seconds from combusting. Bart was already pouting up at Flash, trying to cute his way out trouble. Cassie stood as tall as she could puffing up her chest in preparation to begin making her case while Wonder Woman seemed like she was trying not to be amused.

“Bussssted,” Gar hissed, trying to slither back into Roy’s coat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a lot longer than I thought it would but here we are finally. Once again thank you to teasdays for being a wonderfully supportive editor.

“I hope you all appreciate just  _ how _ much trouble you're in,” Flash said, tapping his foot rapidly, arms crossed over his chest.

After taking the Batmobile back to the Cave, the Team had been marched back to the Watchtower to get chewed out. Their mentors had clearly opted to lecture them in a group, but it was almost certain that they’d all be facing individual dressing-downs afterwards.

“What you did tonight was reckless, irresponsible, and frankly just plain  _ stupid _ ,” Superman said, in his stern ‘I’m very disappointed in you’ voice that he usually reserved for criminals and Conner. “You could have been hurt.”

“I mean, some of us are invulnerable,” Conner mumbled.

“But most of you  _ aren’t _ ,” Flash said, “You could have been seriously hurt.”

“And that’s not even getting into the fact that you  _ stole _ the Batmobile,” Wonder Woman said, “What on earth were you thinking?”

Tim felt like he was going to be sick, his mind racing through all of the terrible things that were going to happen next. Of course someone would say that it was all his idea, and then he would be the one under fire. Batman had stayed silent the entire time the other were lecturing, but he  _ must _ have known that this was all Tim’s idea, and no one else could have gotten access to the Cave. The others were being dragged down on account of him and they were going to resent him for it. Everything was crashing down and it was all Tim’s fault.

There was no way out, but Tim knew he could at least mitigate the damage, take them blame and get the others off the hook. He took a breath and mentally prepared himself for whatever would happen next.

“It was my idea,” Roy said suddenly, cutting Tim off before he could even say anything. “I goaded Rob into this.”

Tim looked over at Roy in shock; he hadn’t prepared for  _ that _ . Before he could think to try and correct him, Cassie jumped in.

“It was my idea to take the Batmobile though,” she said, “Roy goaded him, but I came up with the idea in the first place.”

“Yeah,” Conner jumped in, “I suggested we take it out of town.”

Bart jumped up and down to get everyone’s attention. “I was the one driving when we crashed!” he said.

The adults exchanged glances; Tim figured they knew these were lies, but they didn't seem sure of what to do about it. Finally, Batman stepped forward to pin Robin under his stare. He’d remained silent the entire time since coming to the Watchtower, only glaring from the shadows as the others lectured them.

“Well, Robin?” Batman asked, his tone deceptively smooth. “Is this true?”

Tim felt everyone’s eyes on him. He looked up at Bruce, unsure of what to say. If he went along with the others, he’d be lying, but if he told the truth, he’d be undermining his team. He didn't want anyone else to get in trouble for something that had been entirely his doing.

Out of the corner of his eye, Tim saw Roy give him the slightest nod.  _ We’re with you _ , he seemed to say. Jaime, who was next to Robin, leaned over just slightly to brush shoulders, like he was offering support.

Tim took a deep breath and met Batman’s gaze. “It’s true,” he said, “I let them talk me into it.”

Kon hid a smile and Cassie gave the smallest huff of laughter. Gar didn't even try to hide his grin. Tim held Bruce’s gaze for a few more seconds, willing himself not to tremble. After what felt like hours, Batman gave a considering hum.

“What you’ve done is stupid and reckless, not to mention disrespectful,” Batman said, “Since you're determined to shoulder the responsibility as a group, you will be punished accordingly. Until further notice, you’ll be grounded from missions, your use of the Watchtower’s amenities is revoked, and from now on,  _ I’ll _ be handling your training.”

Tim winced, knowing that Batman was particularly brutal when it came to training. They were all going to be sore as hell by the end of the first session. Still, no one spoke up, the seven of them standing together. Tim felt something like acceptance wash over him.

The punishment apparently handled, the group began to break apart. Batman stalked away, and Robin obediently followed. Tim spared a glance behind him and watched the others be shuffled off by their parents or mentors. He caught Kon’s eye for a moment; Kon smiled tentatively at him, and Tim felt his face heat. He quickly turned away and trotted to keep up with Batman as they made their way to the Zeta beam, his lips tingling.

Once they arrived back in the Cave, Tim prepared himself for another lecture. Even if Bruce believed him about the others’ involvement, Tim was the only one who could have smuggled the car out. There was no one else who it could have been, and no amount of ‘goading’ could take that off of Tim’s shoulders.

Bruce took them over to the computer, before he finally turned to Tim. Tim tried to steel himself against whatever was coming. He was nearly certain that he was about to be fired. Or yelled at.

Instead of yelling or sacking Tim on the spot, Bruce gestured to the computer. "Show me what you did,” he said.

Tim looked up, confused for a moment. Then he realized that Bruce wanted him to show him how he’d snuck the Batmobile out without anyone realizing anything. Hesitating for a moment, Tim took a few steps forward and started the process of how he’d tricked the Cave security to make it seem like things were chugging along as normal. Bypassing the security on the car was easier in terms of programming, but took time and patience and steady hands. The last touch was making sure to erase any trace of doors being opened or codes being used. By the end of the demonstration, Tim could have driven the Batmobile right out of the Cave again.

Bruce had hovered over Tim’s shoulder the entire time, watching carefully what he was doing. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even make a sound, not even a hum or cough, as Tim worked. When Tim finished, he stepped back and seemed to consider things. Tim looked up at him from the front seat of the Batmobile, the driver’s door open so he could wiggle under the dash.

When Tim almost couldn't stand the silence anymore, Bruce broke it. “I’m impressed,” he said.

Tim jolted with surprise. “Really?” he asked, the word slipping out before he could contain it.

“Really,” Bruce said, pulling back his cowl. He didn't smile, but he wasn’t glaring either. “I’m impressed that you managed to do all this, that you even thought to do it all in the first place.”

He actually sounded genuine, and Tim couldn't help the flush on his cheeks and the slight smile on his lips. Bruce traced his fingers against the sleek outside of the car, but his face grew serious and Tim felt the dread bubble back up.

“You put a lot of thought into this Tim,” he said, “It was a very careful plan, one that must have taken you a long time and a lot of study to come up with.”

“It wasn't easy,” Tim agreed. It had taken him weeks to get all of the details right.

“My question is  _ why _ ?” Bruce asked, looking down at Tim sternly. “Why did you make this plan in the first place?”

Tim bit his lip. “I wasn't ever going to actually  _ use _ it,” he said, “But I figured I should make a plan, just in case I ever needed the car. For emergencies.”

Bruce gave a considering hum. “Smart,” he said, “Though I fail to see how taking it for a  _ joyride _ with your teammates counts as an  _ emergency _ .”

Tim felt his stomach twist, but then he noticed the slight smirk at the corner of Bruce’s lips. He wasn’t angry, Tim realized. He wasn't about to fire Tim on the spot, or start shouting at him. Tim slowly allowed himself to untwist.

“It’s just, y’know,” Tim shrugged, “Teenage rebellion, and stuff.”

“ _ Hmf _ ,” Bruce scoffed, “Well, ‘teenage rebellion’ just earned you two weeks off patrol,” he said, “And you’ll be cleaning the Batmobile, and putting on a fresh coat of wax. After that you can help me fix the cracks in security than you managed to slip through.” He raised an eyebrow. “And tell me about any other ‘emergency’ plans you have.”

Tim flushed slightly at being caught out, but a grin seeped onto his face. Bruce helped him put everything back the way it should be and then they headed upstairs.

* * *

After they’d come home, Conner had sat through the entire lecture his dad had seemingly pulled out of nowhere, absorbing exactly none of it. Once Clark had winded himself talking down to Conner about being responsible and mature and a beacon for hope, blah, blah, blah, Conner had made a quick escape to his room and promptly fallen onto his bed, burying his face in his pillow. He’d stayed there for who knew how long, playing the moment he’d kissed Robin over and over in his head, trying to figure out where he’d gone wrong. Everything had been going well until that point. Even the kiss had been great. Robin's lips had tasted like beeswax lip balm, but they were still slightly chapped, like he forgot to use it regularly. It had been short, chaste, and for a split second, Conner had even thought that he’d leaned into it, kissed back.

Then Robin had bolted, away from the kiss and away from Conner. Conner hadn’t even had time to explain himself, or apologize, or anything, before Robin had rounded them all up back into the car and driven them back. Conner couldn't help but think of the way Roy and Robin had spoken to one another, the way Robin seemed to relax when Roy finally admitted what a jerk he’d been. Conner’s brain supplied him with a million scenarios, all them involving Robin falling into Roy’s arms as they grew closer after their reconciliation.

Conner groaned and slammed his head into his pillow a few times, trying to dislodge the image from his head. It didn’t seem to do any good; maybe Conner needed something harder.

There was a knock at Conner’s door. “Go away,” Conner groaned, muffled by his pillow.

“Conner?” Lois called, “Are you okay?”

“Leave me alone, mom,” Conner called miserably.

Instead of leaving him to wallow in self pity, Lois opened his door and stepped inside. “I heard about what happened,” she said, coming to sit down next to Conner on the bed. “I figured you could use someone to listen, rather than lecture you.”

Conner groaned and tried to sink further into the bed, wishing Darkseid would rain down hellfire from a portal in the living room so he could get out of this conversation. When it didn't seem like any life-threatening shitshows from Apokolips would be happening in the next five minutes, he sighed and rolled over, staring at the ceiling and not at his mother.

“Mom,” Conner started, “have you ever screwed up so badly that you felt like the whole world was ending?”

Lois raised an eyebrow. “I don't think you taking the Batmobile out for a night of fooling around with your friends is something to get  _ that _ worked up over,” she said. 

“Not that,” Conner said, tossing his arm over his eyes. He tried to work up the courage to just come out and say it, Lois waiting patiently at his side for him to elaborate. “I kissed Robin.”

Lois took a moment to process what he’d said. “You kissed Robin?” she repeated, “As in, Batman’s Robin?”

Conner nodded. He groaned and grabbed his pillow, pulling it over his face in an attempt to suffocate himself. “I kissed him,” he said again.

Lois sighed and rested her hand over Conner’s. “I take it it didn’t go so well?”

Conner tossed the pillow away. “He basically ran away from me. He couldn’t get out of there fast enough,” he groaned, “He  _ hates _ me now.”

“I’m sure he doesn't hate you,” Lois said, reaching up to pet his hair. “I’m sure if you talked to him, you could sort the whole thing out.”

“Ugh,” Conner groaned, turning his head, but not leaning away from Lois’s touch. “He hates me for sure. You didn't see the way he ran out of there.”

Lois hummed. “Well, if this boy doesn’t like you, then that’s his loss,” she said.

Conner sighed, not sure how he could explain it. “I really like him,” he said softly, wishing he didn't sound so pathetic.

“Oh, baby,” Lois soothed, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “I know. The first time is always so tough.”

Conner let out another sigh and curled into his mother, the two of them shifting around until his head was in her lap. He closed his eyes as she stroked her fingers through his hair.

“The first time you’re ever in love is always the hardest,” Lois said, “It’s the most amazing, absolute worst feeling in the world.”

“Yeah,” Conner said, letting the silence hang for a minute. “Why do people even fall in love? If it feels so shitty?”

Lois shrugged. “Beats me, kiddo. I know that sometimes it just doesn’t seem worth it,” she said, giving him a sardonic smile. “But when you find that person, that  _ one _ person who gives you all of the good parts of love and almost none of the bad parts,  _ that’s _ when it’s really worth it.”

Conner hummed, mulling the words over in his head. “But how do you  _ know _ ? When it’s the right person?”

Lois smiled. “You don't, not usually, not until way later,” she said, “It usually takes a while before you really figure it out.” She ruffled his hair. “So don’t worry about it too much, okay? You’ve got lots of time to figure out, so don’t stress too much, alright?”

Conner let out a long sigh, but he turned to smile up at Lois. “Thanks, mom,” he said, then nuzzled back down into her lap. He might have been embarrassed about this, snuggling into his mom’s lap like a little kid, but he chased those thoughts away by reminding himself that he was technically only six years old, so he was technically still a child.

The thoughts about Robin were harder to chase off however, and they lingered at the forefront of his mind. He couldn't help but think of the way Robin had almost seemed to want it, just for a split second, before he’d run away.

* * *

The day after The Batmobile Incident, the team members in trouble were subjected to the worst day of training any of them had ever had to endure. Batman did  _ not _ pull his punches when it came to training, something that Tim was already familiar with. The others, not so much. By the end of the day, they were all slumped over one another, gasping for breath and sore in places they hadn't even known  _ existed _ .

"My  _ bones _ hurt," Arsenal groaned, "How do my bones hurt?"

"I didn't even know I could  _ get _ winded," Superboy gasped from the floor, hand pressed to his chest as he tried to steady his breathing.

"Batman is a sadist," Blue Beetle moaned. He turned to look at Robin. "How do you deal with it?"

Robin only managed a shrug, just as out of breath as the rest of them. He was used to this kind of treatment, but that didn't mean he no longer felt its effects.

"All this for one car ride," Bart said, "The past can be so dumb."

Zatanna, who had partnered with Batman for their training that day, clicked her tongue at them. "If you guys think  _ this _ is bad," she said, "You've never been stuck in an alternate timeline where dinosaurs never went extinct." She gave an involuntary shudder. "Now  _ that _ was a rough evening."

Wonder Girl groaned. "What I want to know is  _ how _ ," she said, "How did they even know we took the damn thing?"

"Robin's not as good as he thought he was when he took the damn car?" Roy suggested, grinning at Robin. Tim realized that he was teasing and smiled back.

"Actually, we probably wouldn't have known at all," Zatanna said, "We had to let Batman know what was going on."

"How the heck did  _ you  _ catch us when Batman didn't even know?" Beetle asked accusingly.

Zatanna raised an eyebrow and fished her phone out of... somewhere (did she even have pockets?) and began flipping through it. "We probably would have had no idea," she admitted, "If it hadn't been for Beast Boy's snapchat story."

A stillness settled over the room as they all snapped their heads towards Beast Boy, who had frozen like a deer in the headlights. Zatanna turned her phone around to show them the various photos that Gar had taken of their night. The Batmobile in the abandoned lot, Robin sitting in the driver's seat; the troupe of them piling in on top of each other; Gar's snake face half in the frame as the scenery blurred passed them as they drove well over the speed limit through the city; a fuzzy shot as they crashed the car into the ditch; a shot from the top of the road looking down into the ditch where the Batmobile rested against the tree, and then one right after it of Superboy and Wonder Girl lifted the car out of the ditch. The rest of the story was pictures of the view from the top of the cliff Robin had taken them up.

"You even had your location on," Zatanna said, turning her phone back and scrolling through them. "They're not bad pics actually."

"You were  _ snapchatting _ ?" Wonder Girl snarled through clenched teeth.

Beast Boy cowered slightly. "Was I not supposed to?" he asked.

Wonder Girl let out a strangled cry, swiping at Beat Boy. Gar yelped and darted away, but the others were hot on his tail. Robin buried his face in his hands as they scuffled around trying to pin Beast Boy down.

"All that careful planning, and he's on  _ snapchat _ ," he moaned, pushing his fingers into his temples. For the first time, Tim understood why Bruce kept most of the Justice League at arm's length.

There was a crash as Beetle finally pinned Beast Boy down with one of his giant staple things, sending him crashing into a rack of medicine balls. The other descended on him and proceed to dole out a light beating; not enough to hurt him, just enough to send a message.

Once Gar had been thoroughly schooled on when was the proper time to update his social media accounts, the seven of them trudged out of the training room. They weren't allowed to use the media room or any of the Watchtower's entertainment facilities, so Robin expected them to part ways once they were at the Zeta beams.

"So I'm grounded from going out for patrol," Cassie said, "But my mom forgot to ban me from hanging out. You guy want to get a burger or something?"

Kon checked his phone for the time. "I've got an hour before I have to be home," he said. "There's a great hotdog cart in Metropolis. It's not burgers, but it's pretty close to the Zeta tube and the weiners cost like, a buck fifty."

"Sounds good to me," Roy said, stretching his metal arm over his head. He turned to Robin. "You coming, Boy Wonder? Or is the big bad Bat going to drag you away?"

Tim blinked, surprised to be invited along by Roy, of all people. "Uh, yeah sure," he said, "I probably have an hour or so before I have to go."

Tim's parents were supposed to be getting home in the morning, so Tim wanted to tidy the place up a little before he went to bed. The maids almost never did it the particular way his mother liked, so Tim always took care of it the night before, just to make things easier on everyone. Since he wasn't going on patrol tonight, he could probably stay out a little later.

Roy grinned and nudged Robin in the shoulder. "Cool," he said.

They moved towards the Zeta tube, and as Kon unsubtly positioned himself next to him, Tim realized he'd probably made a mistake. Kon was standing close enough that Tim could feel his body heat, and as the Zeta beam fired up, the rush of air being sucked into the portal carried with it the smell of leather and spicy shampoo.

This was a  _ very _ bad idea.

But Tim had worked for this, hadn't he? Being accepted by the group without compromising his identity? That was the whole point of taking the Batmobile out. Now Roy himself was inviting Tim along; if Tim backed out now, it could set him back the dozen or so steps he'd gained.

Maybe, if Tim was clever and lucky, he'd be able to avoid being alone with Kon long enough to make it through the evening. It probably wouldn't last forever, but it could buy him some time.

It was early evening in Metropolis by the time they found the hotdog cart. They bought their hotdogs, Bart's order taking a little longer to complete, and found a bench to sit at in a little square dedicated to a large statue. There was no one else around aside from a few pigeons.

Tim tried to sit close to Roy and Cassie, but before he could make his way over, Kon gently took his elbow. "Can we talk for a sec?" Kon asked, face a little pink.

Tim bit his lip, his heart pounding in his chest. "Okay," he said, not wanting to be rude.

Kon smiled and led him over to a second bench, away from the others. Roy raised an eyebrow, but Tim gave him a quick wave. He sat next to Kon on the bench and nibbled anxiously at his hotdog.

They sat quietly for a minute, Kon seemingly trying to find the right words to say and Tim too nervous to break the silence. Finally Kon found his words. "So uh," he stalled, "That kiss the other day."

"Right," Tim said, "Look, Kon-"

"You don't have to say anything," Kon said, "I know I overstepped a boundary, and I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable." He tore his napkin up a little. "But I'd really like to stay friends with you, even if you don't like me that way."

Tim could hardly breathe. "Kon, it wasn't that," he said.

Kon looked up. "It wasn't?"

Tim knew that he should lie, that it would be easier in the end, but he couldn't stand how hurt Kon looked. "It's not that you overstepped anything, I..." Tim bit his lip. "I just don't think it's a good idea."

Kon furrowed his brow, confused. "Why not?"

Tim took a large bite of his hotdog to stall for time. He carefully chewed and swallowed, aware the entire time of Kon's eyes on him.

"I'm not...  _ like _ the rest of you guys," Tim said carefully.

"Not like us?" Kon asked, glancing at the others. Gar was entertaining everyone by chasing pigeons in the form of a cat, forgiven already for his social media bumble. "You mean you don't have powers? I don't care about that."

Tim shook his head. "It's not that," he said, "I'm not like you, I'm not going to be Robin forever."

Kon only looked more confused. "Well sure, you want to be like Nightwing one day?"

Tim held back a sigh, wondering how someone so handsome could be so dense. "I'm not going to be a superhero forever."

Kon blinked in surprise. "Why not? You want to quit?"

Tim let out a long breath. "I never really planned to be Robin for a long time," he explained, "After Robin, the one before me... I was only ever supposed to stay long enough to get Batman stable again. I never expected to hang onto Robin this long. I've got... I've got a life outside of being a hero. I've got plans, college and stuff, living a normal life." Tim explained.

Even as he said it, he felt the cold sensation of impending doom that came along every time he thought about his carefully planned out future. Graduate high school with honors, go to the best business school in the country, graduate summa cum laude, take over Drake industries, marry a proper woman from a proper family, have at least one male child with her, and spend the rest of his days normally until he died of natural causes. There was no room in his life for vigilantes or superpowered boyfriends.

As much as Tim might like the idea.

Kon frowned. "So what, you don't want to date me because you want to leave Robin," he said, not so much a question as confirmation.

Tim nodded. "It just... wouldn't be fair."

Kon let out a huff. "But you have no plans to leave  _ right now _ , right?" he asked, scooting closer on the bench. "So, in the meantime...?"

Tim felt his heart start to pound. "It... it wouldn't work," he said.

"Why not?" Kon asked softly, leaning down so he was more level with Tim.

Tim swallowed. "My parents," he answered shakily.

"Your parents?" Kon asked.

Tim nodded. "They'd... they'd never approve."

Kon pulled back a little. "Because I'm a superhero? Or... because I'm a guy?"

Tim ran a hand through his hair. "Both? they don't even know I'm  _ Robin _ ," he said. He didn't know what they'd freak out about more.

"Geez," Kon said, sitting back against the bench. They sat in silence for a minute, Tim hoping that it was over and he could finally escape.

"It's not that I don't like you Kon," Tim said, "I... I really do, but... it just wouldn't be good."

"Right," Kon said softly, brows furrowed as he watched Tim stand.

"I should get going," Tim said, "It was nice talking to you."

Kon started to stand, looking like he was about to say something else, but Tim quickly turned and started to quick walk away. He gave a shaky smile and wave to the others as he passed, not stopping when Cassie called out to him. He didn't look back the entire way to the Zeta tube.

* * *

"He  _ stole _ the Batmobile!" Dick exclaimed, waving a hand around dramatically. "He just took it driving around with his friends!"

Dick's companion didn't answer, so he pressed on. "And the thing is! He  _ barely _ got in trouble for it! Bruce was actually  _ impressed _ by him! Do you have any idea how much trouble I would have been in if  _ I _ had pulled a stunt like that?"

Again Dick's conversation partner said nothing, but Dick hadn't expected him to anyway. Dick sighed and put his chin in his hands, taking a moment to stare at his friend's face.

"Honestly, I'm pretty impressed by Tim as well," Dick said, "He's a better Robin than I ever was. He's smart,  _ Bruce _ smart, and he's doing some really good work just on his own."

Dick let out a sigh. "But I'm worried about him. He's always so nervous, like we're about to turn on him at a moment's notice," he said, "Personally, I blame his parents. They're never around and he barely sees them. He really needs some positive reinforcement. I'm trying to get him to hang out with his team more, but he's still so cagey."

There was a moment of silence as Dick mulled over his problem. "Maybe I should try talking to him a little more," he said, "Maybe I'll invite him out to Bludhaven, take him trainsurfing or something." Dick turned to his companion. "What do you think, Wally?"

The black framed photograph said nothing, Wally's face frozen in a joyful smile on the glossy card paper. Dick felt the familiar pang of loss bang around in his chest, so painful that for a second he couldn't even breathe. It took a moment to pass, leaving Dick to take a gasp of breath that was dangerously close to a sob. Dick closed his eyes, taking a moment to collect himself.

"Yeah, I think that's what I'll do," he said, forcing a smile onto his face. "Thanks, Wally. It's always great to talk to you."

Dick opened his eyes and looked at his friend again, his smile morphing into something more genuine, if a little more sad. "See you around man," he said softly. He gently touched the bottom corner of the picture frame, almost like a prayer, before picking it up and putting it back in his drawer. It was too painful to look at all the time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last little scene is more of a bonus scene, so it probably won't feature into the plot too much. I had a lot of fun with this and I'm excited to see where I can take it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished this chapter. I had a lot of trouble with it, but luckily my friend the lovely Ari (who's also my editor) came to my rescue and helped me through the scenes. I'm not sure how long this will end up, but I don't think it's going to be very long in the end.

Tim jolted awake with the sound of a door slamming downstairs. He glanced at the clock and cursed as he jumped out of bed. He'd meant to wake up early, be presentable by the time his parents arrived, but after yesterday with Kon he'd been so out of sorts he'd forgotten to set his alarm. Tim quickly lept out of bed and started searching for his clothes. He'd at least prepared his outfit in advance, so all he really had to do was try to tame his wild bedhead before rushing downstairs.

"Tim?" Jack was calling. "Where are you kiddo?"

"Hi dad!" Tim called, coming around the corner. He smiled brightly at his parents. "Sorry, I had my headphones on and I didn't hear you come in."

"That's okay sport," Jack said, slinging an arm around Tim's shoulders and pulling him in for a quick hug. "How have you been Tim?"

"I've been good," Tim said, hugging his dad quickly before he pulled away.

"Any wild parties?" Jack teased, hanging up his coat, but leaving his bags by the door.

"You know me dad," Tim said. "Just tons of wild parties, all the time."

"I hope you kept up with your studies while we were gone," Janet said, handing Tim her coat so he could hang it up.

"Of course," Tim said, hanging his mother's coat on a wooden hanger (wire coat hangers were for the more unwelcome guests). "You can call the school and talk to them if you're worried."

Janet gave a non-committal hum and walked through the front room, no doubt looking for places that the maids missed or where they hadn’t done a good enough job. Tim had checked everything, so the maids would be able to keep their jobs this time around.

With Janet occupied, Tim trotted along behind Jack, listening to him regale Tim with tales of his exploits on this last trip. He hadn’t seemed to have noticed that Tim hadn’t been following him the whole time. Tim listened intently, making sure he didn’t miss anything important. If there was something his father was particularly excited about, Tim would bring it up later at dinner.

Tim loved his parents, and he missed them when they were gone, but it was always stressful when they came home. Janet always found something to be critical of and Jack hardly let anyone get a word in. Tim didn't mind, they were his parents and he loved them. He would happily deal with the stress while they were there if it meant he didn't have to spend another day wandering through the empty house, trying not to make too much noise because the sound echoed strangely.

Tim followed Jack for the majority of the day, eagerly listening to his father’s stories from the dig and his other travels. By the time the cook was calling them for dinner, Tim had plenty to bring up. He went up to get changed into his clothes for dinner and quickly made his way back down to the dining room. His mother had freshened up and likewise dressed for dinner, but Jack remained in his travel clothes. Tim braced himself.

“Jack,” Janet said sternly, “we’re about to sit down to  _ dinner _ , and you haven’t even washed.”

“It’s fine Janet,” Jack said, waving her off dismissively. “It’s just us. Not like we have company.”

Janet rolled her eyes, but thankfully she just sat down at her usual spot at the dining table, clearly too tired from travelling to get into an argument tonight. Tim breathed a sigh of relief and sat at his spot, ready to navigate the potential minefield that was dinner with his parents. He’d gotten quite good at it over the years, and by now dinners hardly ever ended in screaming fights.

“Hey dad,” Tim said, “what were you saying about the dinner party you were at? With the other archeologist? Dr. Sokoloff?"

"Dr. Sobokoff, actually," Jack said. "He actually told me the funniest story."

Jack launched into the story, gesticulating wildly at times for emphasis. Tim listened attentively, but Janet didn't seem to be very interested, probably because she'd already heard it from Dr. Sobokoff himself.

Jack hardly took a break from talking to take a breath. "-and  _ then _ Sobokoff's son's boyfriend says-"

"Ugh," Janet scoffed. "What a disgrace."

Jack sighed. "Janet please, I'm trying to finish the story."

"I just think it's a waste is all," Janet said, taking a delicate sip of her wine. "Letting his boy flounce around with other men. It's shameful."

"It's his choice, Janet, he's not hurting anyone," Jack said. "So what if the boy is a fag? It's not our business."

Janet scoffed again. "You'd think a man like Sobokoff would have taught his son how to act. To be a  _ proper _ man."

Jack sighed again. "You would think that, but Sobokoff has always been a bit of a character. I suppose manliness just isn't a priority to him."

Tim had kept his teeth clenched throughout the whole exchange, trying desperately not to blurt out anything incriminating. He’d known about his parents’ opinions on homosexuality already, but with the memory of Kon's kiss so fresh in his mind, his stomach felt incredibly cold all of a sudden.

"Honestly, I blame all that time on the internet," Janet said. She suddenly turned on Tim and looked him up and down with a critical eye. "I hope you know better than to spend too much time goofing off on your computer."

"Of course, mom," Tim said somewhat robotically, trying to smile.

Janet raised an eyebrow at him, as though not quite believing him. From the other side of the table, Jack laughed.

"I'm sure you don't have to worry about our boy, Janet," he said. "Tim's a real man's man. Isn't that right kiddo?"

"Yes," Tim said, trying to shove down the memory of how soft Kon's lips had been on his, until it disappeared.

The matter seemingly settled, Jack returned to his story and Janet returned to ignoring them. Tim tried to continue paying attention, but his heart wasn't in it. He nodded along when it seemed appropriate, but everything his father said washed right over him. All he could hear was his father's voice ringing 'fag' over and over in his ears.

At the end of dinner, Tim excused himself to his room, citing that he wasn't feeling well and wanted to lie down. When he was finally alone, Tim threw himself down on his bed and let out a breath he felt like he'd been holding since he woke up that morning. He'd already known his parents would never approve of him ever dating a boy, so he didn't know why he was so out of sorts about it tonight.

More than anything at that moment, Tim wanted to go out; to patrol as Robin and leave his normal life on the ground for a while. Being Robin could be hard. It was a lot of responsibility, but it was also the most amazing thing Tim had ever experienced. The best feeling in the world was the top of a swing on the end of a grapple line, that half second of weightlessness, like flying, just before gravity took over. There was also the  _ view _ , the sight of the city from the top of the skyscrapers that few people ever got to indulge in. At the end of his patrols Tim would often stop and take a minute to just enjoy the sight of Gotham spread beneath him, like a glittering patch of starlit sky that had fallen to the earth in a pool of smog and pollution.

Tim glanced at his closet where he’d stashed his uniform. Bruce had said no patrolling… but a quick jaunt around the block wasn’t really a ‘patrol’ so much as a late night walk. If he happened to snag a mugger or a rapist, that was just him being a good samaritan.

This in mind, Tim got up from his bed and quickly changed into his uniform. After dinner Janet always retired to her reading room and Jack always had a drink or five before heading to bed, ever the early bird. Tim wasn’t worried in the least about them noticing if he slipped out; before he was Robin, he used to slip out at night all the time.

Twenty minutes later, Robin swung out over the city, chilly night air filling his lungs. He resisted the urge to let out a joyful cry, slightly paranoid that he’d be caught, even though he was pretty sure Batman would be across the city by now.

A couple of muggers-kicked-in-the-face later, Tim wound up at Wayne Tower, which was probably stupid, but it was the best view in the city. Tim took a few deep breaths of the frigid air, the wind almost sharp enough to snatch the breath right out of his mouth.

“Aren’t you supposed to be grounded?” came a voice from Tim’s left.

Tim yelped and nearly toppled off the perch he’d found. He managed to save himself at the last minute, arms flailing as he tried to keep his balance. Tim pulled himself back up to see Nightwing hanging off the side of the tower, smirking slightly at him.

“Don’t  _ do _ that,” Tim hissed, putting a hand to his chest. “I almost had a heart attack.”

Dick raised an eyebrow under his mask. “We need to work on your observation skills. You didn’t answer my question though. Aren’t you grounded?”

Tim shrugged. “I just wanted to get some fresh air.”

Dick hummed and plopped down next to Tim on his perch. For a long moment the two of them just looked out over the city, watching the low-hanging clouds beneath them roll past lazily. Tim kicked his feet over the edge of the perch, looking down over the dizzying height of the tower to the streets below.

“It’s a nice night,” Dick said. “You picked a good night for a ‘walk’.”

“Yeah,” Tim hummed, his mind full of unpleasant thoughts.

“Don’t worry,” Dick said, leaning over to nudge Tim’s shoulder. “I won’t rat you out.”

Tim flashed Dick a smile and then went right back to his silent brooding. Dick seemed to pick up on Tim’s mood and scooted closer. “Something wrong?” he asked.

Tim let out a long sigh. “No,” he said. “Maybe? I don’t know.”

Dick waited patiently for Tim to go on, knowing that he’d eventually say something. Almost unbidden, the words came bubbling up from Tim’s gut, like bile.

“I’m pretty sure I like guys,” Tim blurted out, “which wouldn't really be a problem, you know? This is the 20th century, people can like whoever they want, right?”

“Right,” Dick commisserated.

Tim pressed on. “But my  _ parents _ ,” he said, “it’s like they’re stuck in some bizzaro time bubble where it still matters that I’m a ‘man’s man’ and I don’t do anything to bring shame to the family. They kept going on and on about this other guy’s kid being a fag and—”

His voice choked off, and Tim realized to his embarrassment that he was starting to cry. The edge of his mask absorbed his falling tears and clung wetly to his cheek. Tim sniffed and hastily tried to scrub his tears away, but Dick had already noticed.

“Oh buddy,” he soothed, scooting over and wrapping an arm around Tim’s shoulders. “It’s okay.”

Tim leaned into Dick’s side, trying to convince himself that he was shaking from the cold. He tried to stifle his sobs, but it was no use. Dick thankfully made no comment, only lending his side for Tim to lean on and rubbing a comforting hand over his back. They sat in silence for a long time.

Eventually Tim got control over himself again. “It’s not like I didn't know,” he said. “I knew they’d never take it well, if I ever told them.” Tim sighed and leaned his head on Dick’s shoulder. “I just… I just…”

“I know,” Dick said, resting his cheek on Tim’s head and squeezing his shoulder. “I know.”

Tim sniffled and tried to press himself closer into Dick’s side. Eventually he was going to have to head home, back to his parents. For now all he wanted to do was curl up in the arms of the man who was like an older brother to him.

* * *

A few weeks passed by, the Team’s training getting more brutal every day under the instruction of The Batman. Eventually however, they did start to get used to it and even began improving. Significantly, they began to work better as a team, working together more smoothly. Tim didn't want to get too cocky, but since the night of The Batmobile Incident, they’d all become somewhat closer as a group. He’d even venture far enough to call them all friends.

The most astounding thing to Tim was how much Roy began to warm up to him. Tim often found himself hanging out with Roy even when the others weren’t around.

“We’re the only two on the team without powers,” Roy said. “We have to stick together.”

“Sure,” Tim said, glad at least to not have Roy at his throat the whole time. The others were working individually on honing their powers, something neither Roy nor Tim had, which left them alone together.

Roy smiled at him and reached over to playfully nudge Tim in the shoulder. “Come on, let’s go play some video games. There’s a smaller media room no one uses.”

“We’re still grounded from using the media rooms,” Tim pointed out.

“So? We jacked the Batmobile, what do we care about rules?” Roy scoffed.

Tim huffed. “What’s all this ‘we’ talk?”

“We take the punishment together, we take the credit together,” Roy pointed out.

“Not sure that’s how it works,” Tim said, but he smiled and followed Roy anyway.

They quickly ducked inside the smaller media room, Roy using Green Arrow’s key code to get them in.

“Won’t Green Arrow be mad at you?” Tim asked, stepping into the media room. It was quite small, almost more of a private room than anything else.

Roy shrugged and flopped himself down on the couch. “Not really. He’s been terrified to do anything wrong around me since I got out. He’s a complete pushover.” He flexed his metal arm, frowning at his artificial fingers. “Probably feels guilty.”

Tim sensed they were heading into prickly territory for Roy and quickly made himself busy by starting to sort out what they had at their disposal. There was a DVD player and a shelf of DVDs, but also a console and a handful of games. Tim chose a random racing game and started up the console, handing Roy a controller.

They played in relative silence for a while, but Tim could feel Roy relaxing as they played. When Tim got taken out of the race by a well placed bomb, Roy laughed at him, and Tim knew his mood had passed. They raced and traded barbs, nudging each other when things got really competitive. Tim had never really played video games with anyone, never really having close enough friends for it. It was nice.

“So,” Roy said out of the blue as they turned a sharp corner in the game. “You and Superboy huh? That’s cool.”

Tim jolted slightly, his car careening into the side of the track and spinning out. Tim struggled to get the pixelated character under control and back in the race. “Me and Superboy? What about it?” he asked.

Roy glanced over with a raised eyebrow. “Aren’t you two together?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Tim said through slightly clenched teeth. He was trying hard to swerve around a character without getting spiked by their special move.

“Dude, I saw you guys kiss,” Roy said.

The character spiked Tim’s avatar, send it crashing into a tar pit. “Oh.”

“It’s not like you guys were hiding,” Roy pointed out. “You were sitting on top of the Batmobile. I’m surprised no one else saw.”

Tim’s stomach felt like it was leaking bile into the rest of his abdominal cavity, hot and slick and shameful. “ _ He _ kissed  _ me _ ,” he said, as though that was important, as though Tim hadn’t  _ wanted _ him to.

Roy hummed. “So are you guys together?” he asked. “It’s cool if you are. I mean, Jaime and Bart are together, so it’s not like it would be that weird or anything.”

Tim had noticed Jaime and Bart; they were sweet together, and they complimented one another nicely. Bart was excitable and brash where Jaime was cautious and calm. Bart brought Jaime out of his shell and Jaime got Bart to slow down and think before he acted. Tim was happy for them; he was a little jealous of them.

“We’re not together,” Tim said.

“Really?” Roy asked, genuinely surprised. “I would have thought he would have asked you out by now, what with how long he’s been making moon eyes at you.”

Tim felt himself blush. “He did ask,” he admitted, fiddling with his controls. He was hopelessly behind by now, with no hope of winning the race.

Roy’s character sped through the starting line and into his final lap. “Yeah? You turned him down? Don't swing that way, I guess?”

“It’s not that,” Tim said. “I actually… I’m gay.” It was the first time Tim had said the words allowed.

“Cool,” Roy replied. “So Superboy just isn’t your type?”

“No, I like him,” Tim said, “it’s just that… well, it wouldn't work.”

“Why not?” Roy asked curiously. “You seem to get along.”

Tim bit his lip. “I’m not… I can’t stay Robin forever. I’ve got a normal life to get back to.”

Roy expertly curved his character through three NPC’s. “So? What the fuck  _ is _ normal anyway?”

Tim sighed. “I don't expect you to understand. My life… it’s complicated.”

Roy glanced over at Tim for a long moment, assessing him. Quickly, Roy reached over and shut off the console, cutting off the game even though Roy was seconds from winning. He tossed down his controller and slid on the couch to face Tim.

“Okay, tell me about it,” Roy said.

“What?” Tim asked.

“You said it was complicated, so  _ un _ complicate it. Tell me what’s up,” Roy said. “You don’t have to use names or whatever, if you’re worried about your secret identity.”

Tim knew he shouldn’t, he would just be dragging Roy into his problems for no reason. Plus, it wasn't as though Roy would get it, few people ever did. Tim hated to think of himself as being part of a different class from others, but it was hard to deny that he existed in a world of extreme wealth, and while that had its privileges, it had its caveats as well. Tim had a very narrow life path ahead of him, one that he could never escape, not without turning his back on his parents.

But who else did Tim have to talk to? Dick was nice, and he’d for sure listen with a sympathetic ear, but Dick was  _ too _ close. If he knew about what Tim was going through, how miserable it made him, he’d do his best to change it, to make it better for Tim. Bruce would try and talk to the Drakes probably, try to get them to see thing differently. The last thing Tim wanted was either of them meddling in his home life. They were amazing and he trusted them with his life, but he needed to handle some things on his own.

Roy, on the other hand, was a peer, someone his age, who maybe wouldn't understand, but could at least lend an ear without feeling like he had the responsibility to do anything about it. They were both the only humans on the Team, maybe they had more in common than Tim thought.

Before Tim could think to back out, to refocus them on something else, he launched into it. He kept names out of it, preserving his secret identity as much as possible. Other than that he spared none of it, telling Roy about the plans his parents had for him, the way they’d talked at dinner, about how he knew he could never continue being Robin if he wanted to make them happy.

“I just don't have a choice,” Tim said. “I’ve got too much responsibility to them.”

Roy had listened attentively the entire time. “So why become Robin in the first place, if you knew you couldn’t keep at it?”

Tim hunched in on himself, trying to make himself smaller. “You weren’t there when the previous Robin died. Batman was going off the rails. He needed someone to keep him in check.” He frowned a little. “Batman  _ needs _ a Robin.”

“And it had to be you?” Roy asked.

Tim shrugged. “If it was going to be  _ someone _ ,” he said. “Nightwing certainly wasn’t going to put on his old costume.” He sighed. “I’m really only a placeholder anyway. Like I said, I can’t keep it up.”

“Because of some plan your parents have for you,” Roy said. “You want to know what I think? I think you should stop thinking so damn much.”

Tim looked over. “Because  _ that _ makes sense?” he questioned.

“Listen,” Roy said, leaning in closer, “take it from someone who was cloned and put on ice while said clone went out to live my life for years.” He put his hand on Tim’s shoulder and squeezed. “No one ever exists on purpose, nothing ever goes according to plan, and  _ you _ are the only person who can be responsible for yourself. Life is what  _ you _ make of it.”

Tim blinked, somewhat shocked by Roy’s wise words. Tim guiltily realized that he hadn’t really expected Roy to have such an insightful response, as Roy didn't seem like the introspective type. “Thanks,” Tim said, not really knowing what else to say.

Roy squeezed his shoulder one last time before retracting his hand. “No problem man,” he said. He picked up his controller and grinned at Tim. “Now, you want to get back to me kicking your ass or what?”

Tim laughed and picked up his controller. “Oh, you’re on.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up a little shorter than normal, but I couldn't figure out any way to extend it without messing with the pacing.
> 
> These boys deserve happiness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to write more, but I've been going through some work related drama right now and I've been a little focussed on that. Hopefully the next chapter gets written faster than this did. Once again thank you to my lovely Ari for editing.

When Tim had first stood in front of him, demanding that Batman take another Robin, Bruce had had seen a spark of something amazing in him. Here was this thirteen year old who’d not only figured out that Batman was Bruce Wayne, but who had known how Batman functioned even better than Bruce had. When Bruce had rejected the idea of taking another Robin, and Tim had donned the Robin colours himself, Bruce couldn't help but admire the kid’s gumption.

In the end, Bruce had taken Tim on as his Robin, not just to be Batman’s oversight, but to have the chance to watch this amazing little boy grow and evolve. Even Dick had mentioned that Tim was a better Robin than he’d ever been, and Bruce was inclined to agree. The boy was smart, intuitive, curious, and above all else, driven. Bruce was now certain that, with the right encouragement, the sparks he’d seen in Tim could be fanned into a flame, and Tim would outshine all of them.

As Bruce trained Tim however, he noticed that—as bright and clever as the boy could be—he was wracked by self-doubt and a myriad of anxieties. The more Bruce paid attention, the more he grumbled to himself about the Drakes’ apparent disinterest in their own son. They were often away, leaving Tim alone for weeks, months at a time, extending trips at a moments notice, only occasionally remembering to notify Tim. Even this wouldn't be so bad if they only made a better attempt to  _ connect _ with Tim. In fact, they didn’t seem to care about Tim at all, and even when they were home they made little effort to get to know their son. Bruce couldn't imagine his life without Dick, and the loss of Jason had nearly crushed him entirely.

The Drakes, on the other hand, seemed more interested in ensuring that Tim was doing the ‘right’ thing. Going to the right school, getting to right grades, talking to the right people, doing the right extracurricular activities, and so on. They seemed to have little interest in Tim as a person. Bruce chafed under the constraints of being only a mentor to Tim, rather than a parental figure he’d been to the last two Robins. In his spare time, Bruce found himself speculating about scenarios where he would be able to wrest custody of Tim from the Drakes, bring him completely into his home, and give him the life he deserved.

In the meantime, Bruce tried his best to undo the damage that had been done to Tim’s psyche, as well as counteract any new anxieties that popped up. He’d thought he was doing well, getting Tim more relaxed around him and more comfortable in his role as Robin. He’d  _ thought _ he was doing well, but apparently, it wasn’t enough.

“Tim? He’s  _ terrified _ ,” Dick told him one afternoon while he and Bruce were having lunch.

“Terrified?” Bruce asked. “Of the work? He seemed to really enjoy it.”

“No no, not that,” Dick said, taking a bite of his bagel, smearing blueberry cream cheese across his cheek. “He loves the work, one hundred percent.”

“So what’s the problem?” Bruce asked.

Dick washed his bite of bagel down with coffee so loaded with sugar and cream Bruce wondered if it could even technically be called ‘coffee’ anymore. “He thinks you’re going to fire him,” he explained. “He fully expects that he’ll be Robin for maybe another year or two before he’s forced to give it up by his parents, or by you.”

Bruce was stunned. “Why on earth would I fire him?”

Dick only offered Bruce a shrug and proceeded to prepare another bagel with a truly obscene amount of cream cheese.

Bruce kept a closer eye on Tim after that, trying to determine his best course of action. Tim could be incredibly clever, and while he was confident in his work as Robin, he did seem to constantly be waiting to fail, for Bruce to find some excuse to cast him out. Moreover he seemed to think that Bruce was  _ looking _ for a reason to throw him out, that Bruce  _ wanted _ to find a different Robin. Bruce could think of no other person that was more suited to be Robin than Tim, and he knew he had to do something fast in order to convince Tim of that.

Actually sitting down to  _ talk _ to Tim was proving to be harder than Bruce had realized. Bruce didn't do well with emotional heart-to-heart situations to begin with, and trying to engage Tim in such a conversations was especially difficult. Tim was just as bad as Bruce when it came to expressing his emotions, plus he was in the unfortunate position of being a teenager. It was going to take a miracle for Bruce to be able to get through to him.

Luckily, Bruce was adept at pulling off the impossible, despite the great personal cost.

It took a little planning and a lot of steadying of nerves, but Bruce finally managed to get things in place. He and Tim were driving back from a night of patrolling—Tim’s grounding having been lifted by this time. It had been a mild patrol, nothing dramatic like a stray Rouge or bank robbery having happened, but enough small things piling up one after another for the exhaustion to have seeped into their bones, tiring Tim to the point where he dropped his guard.

Tim was slouched against the door, his forehead pressed against the window, watching the raindrops blow and scatter in the rushing air. He let out a deep sigh and seemed to sink into himself slightly. Bruce was half tempted to let him fall asleep in the car. He wouldn’t get to talk to him, but he would get to carry the boy to bed, and Bruce enjoyed the little moments that he got to steal, between the shitshow that was his day-to-day. Cradling his Robins protectively in his arms, like the fragile birds they were named after, had been something Bruce had loved since he’d first done it to Dick, so many years ago.

It would have to wait for another night though; Bruce was determined to talk to Tim, and who knew when he would get another chance. Taking a deep breath, Bruce pushed down his nerves and forced himself to speak.

“You did a good job tonight, Robin,” Bruce said.

Tim startled slightly, jolting out of his doze. “What? Oh,” he said, somewhat confused. “Thank you.”

Normally Bruce might have left it at that, but a voice in him—one that sounded suspiciously like Dick, with a remarkably Alfred-like British accent—let him know that this wouldn't do, not this time. Bruce cleared his throat and tried again. “You’ve improved a lot since you started,” he said, “I’m proud of you.”

Tim seemed completely stunned, and was unable to speak for several seconds. He flushed pink, easily seen on his pale skin, and seemed to try and tuck his body in on himself. “Thank you,” he said softly.

A few minutes passed and Bruce watched carefully as Tim seemed to have an internal debate with himself; he seemed uncomfortable with the praise Bruce gave him, which was the opposite of what Bruce wanted.

“Tim?” Bruce asked, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Tim said, too quick. He smiled at Bruce. “You don't have to worry about me.”

Bruce frowned at the phrasing:  _ you don’t have to worry about me _ , like worrying, caring about Tim was some sort of task, a burden that Bruce shouldn’t bother himself with. This was the very thing Bruce was trying to fix, to show Tim that he was cared about, that he was  _ worthy _ of being cared for.

In a moment of vulnerability, Bruce admitted. “I always worry about the people I care about.”

To this, Tim said nothing (which Bruce was grateful for as he didn’t think he’d be able to take much more emotional talk), only looked at Bruce in shock before tucking himself inward again, but not before Bruce caught a smile on his face. After a long time, Tim started to relax, and Bruce hoped that he’d at least partially gotten through to the boy.

They were nearly to the Cave when Tim piped up again. “Bruce?” he asked, sounding cautious.

“Hm?” Bruce acknowledged.

There was a short pause as Tim gathered himself. “I’m gay,” he said.

Bruce had already guessed at something like this. He’d never been a hundred percent sure, but he’d seen enough evidence over the time he’d known Tim to at least speculate. “Alright,” he said.

Tim waited a moment. “Is that it?” he asked.

Bruce glanced at Tim and raised an eyebrow. “Does there need to be more?”

Finally, something seemed to click in Tim’s head. He smiled and settled back in his seat. “No, I guess not,” he said.

Bruce felt a smile grace his lips and they lapsed back into silence. Tim heaved a great sigh, like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. Bruce decided to call tonight a job well done.

It wasn't long before they arrived back in the Cave. The Batmobile rumbled to a stop and Bruce got out, stretching a bit to get the aches out of his body. It took him a moment to realize that Tim hadn’t followed him. Peering back into the car, Bruce found Tim fast asleep, cheek pressed to the cool glass of the window.

With a small, private smile, Bruce reached into the car and gently gathered Tim into his arms, making sure to rest Tim’s head against his shoulder so he didn't strain his neck. Taking a moment to just enjoy the feeling of carrying such an ultimately fragile creature in his arms, Bruce let himself feel protective over this boy, who wasn’t even  _ his _ to feel protective over, but he’d be  _ damned _ if he was going to let that stop him from doing his best.

If Bruce laid a soft kiss to Tim’s forehead before bringing him up to his room to sleep, well, he could always delete the security footage later.

* * *

Once they were no longer grounded, missions resumed for the younger members of the team. Now that Robin was more squarely situated as leader, things seemed to be going more smoothly. Arsenal was no longer trying to undermine Robin at every turn, and the others followed him without hesitation. Robin was starting to feel like he was actually  _ leading _ the team now, rather than vaguely herding them in the general direction they were meant to go. They still had their hiccups, but they were doing better.

They were doing so well, in fact, that they were beginning to chafe under the missions they kept getting assigned. It seemed as though they kept getting the ‘soft gigs’, all the little things that the older members of the team and the Justice League couldn't bother themselves with. Robin understood that they were the youngest people in the circle of heroes that had been collected by the League over the years, but it still rankled him a little. In Gotham, Robin was basically running on his own half the time, chasing after gang lords and bringing down international crime rings. When he was with the team, they were sent in to collect evidence and perform stakeouts, the kind of small-beans stuff Robin had been doing  _ before _ he was even Robin, trailing after Batman and the previous Robin. It was starting to feel a little insulting.

They were on what felt like the fourth stakeout in as many weeks since the end of their grounding. Robin was trying to pay attention to the clearly empty warehouse, but the others were restless and it was starting to affect him. Even Arsenal was getting antsy, and he was the only other one on the team that did stakeouts regularly.

“Anything yet?” Blue Beetle asked, hovering somewhere around Robin’s left shoulder.

“Not since five minutes ago when you last asked,” Robin said, trying to keep his eyes trained on the entrance of the warehouse. There was only one entrance, and they’d found no evidence of secret entryways.

Blue Beetle sighed and wandered off to where Impulse was almost literally bouncing off the walls. Wonder Girl was flying in lazy circles overhead, looking like she might fall asleep at any moment. Superboy had draped himself over the side of the railing of the roof they were on, periodically using his X-ray vision to check inside the warehouse. Beast Boy and Impulse weren’t even bothering to pretend to pay attention, Impulse chasing himself around the roof access and Beast Boy tapping on his phone. Robin tried not to let it get to him, but even the air felt heavy, undisturbed and stale. He glanced over the expanse of city he could see and wished he could go running across the rooftops, just to get some of the restless energy out.

“This stinks,” Arsenal grumbled, shattering the film that had settled over them.

“Oh my  _ Gods _ yes,” Wonder Girl groaned. “I’m so fucking bored.”

“How much longer do we need to do this?” Impulse asked, vibrating slightly until Blue Beetle laid a hand on his back.

“Two hours, at least,” Robin said, not bothering to check the time. Just the thought of it made his skin crawl with jittery energy.

“Fuck me,” Superboy whined. “There has to be something else we can do?”

“We have to keep an eye on things,” Robin said.

“Can we go in shifts or something?” Blue Beetle suggested. “Two people keep watch and the rest go do something else?”

“This is a mission, not social time,” Robin pointed out, but the idea of a break was almost too good to dismiss outright.

Arsenal huffed. “We’re being underutilised and you know it.” He directed this at Robin. “They’re treating us like children.”

“We  _ are _ children,” Blue Beetle pointed out.

“Yeah, children who can and  _ have _ saved the world like, a hundred times,” Arsenal countered.

“It does seem like we keep getting put on missions way too easy for us,” Wonder Girl said, touching down on the roof.

“The League is trusting us with this mission,” Robin tried to point out, but he knew they had a point. Any one of them could handle a stake out like this  _ alone _ , and they were seven of them altogether.

“They’re keeping us busy,” Arsenal said, “doing their grunt work so they can handle the big stuff.”

Robin sighed. “The old team did a lot more than just stake outs and recon,” he admitted. Of course the old team had  _ supposed _ to do mostly stake out and recon, but things had more often gone sideways than it seemed to for them.

“The problem,” Arsenal said, “is that the old team is still around, doing what they do, leaving us the scraps. Seriously, there’s nothing down there at all.”

“It’s a possible meeting spot for every major gang and criminal empire on this side of the coast,” Robin said.

“Well, there aren’t any meetings happening tonight,” Arsenal said. He turned to Robin. “Come on, man, you  _ know _ nothing is going to happen tonight. If something was going to happen, it would have started by now.”

Robin pressed his lips together. Arsenal had a point, if anyone was going to meet tonight, it wouldn't be at nearly three in the morning. Just off the top of Robin’s head, there were about six other things they could be doing that would be a more fruitful use of their time, .

“We should find something else in the city to do,” Superboy said. “There has to be something interesting happening  _ somewhere _ .”

“Yeah!” Impulse piped up. “We should go on a patrol!”

“It would be more productive than  _ this _ ,” Wonder Girl said, leaning over the railing to peer down at the warehouse. She huffed. “We really are being underutilized.”

“We’ve been given a mission,” Robin tried, knowing he was fighting a losing battle. Maybe taking it in shifts wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Arsenal nudged him in the shoulder. “We’re worth more than this, and you know it,” he said quietly.

“Uh, guys?” Beast Boy finally piped up; he’d been on his phone the whole time they’d been talking. “If we want something else to do, I think I might have something.”

The others immediately gathered around Beast Boy. “What’s up?” Wonder Girl asked, all business even though she was practically bouncing on her heels.

“Okay, so you know those teens we rescued a while back?” Beast Boy said.

“The drug ring with the teleporter?” Superboy asked. “Those teens?”

“Yeah them.” Beast Boy tapped at his phone a few more times, frowning at it. “A couple of them followed me on twitter and I say hi every now and again, but one girl just sent me something weird.”

Beast Boy turned his phone for them all to see.  _ @TheRealBeast _ _ SOS, something freaky is happening on my street. You around? _ the message read. Attached was a short video clip of some kind of lumbering shape in an alley, too big to be any kind of human and too jerky to be anything natural. It was too dark to be sure, but if Robin were to take a guess, it was some kind of malfunctioning robotic creature.

“Has it hurt anyone?” Superboy asked, frowning at the video clip, focussing on it as though his heightened senses could detect what the hell the thing was through the phone.

“Not yet,” Beast Boy said, “but she said this thing has knocked over a few walls and caused a couple traffic accidents. She’s pretty sure this thing is going to hurt someone soon, even if it’s just, like, by accident.”

“Definitely sounds like something we should check out,” Wonder Girl said. “This is where?”

“Jersey,” Beast Boy said, “We’re about fifteen minutes from where this is happening. Ten if we hoof it.”

“We should check it out,” Wonder Girl said decisively. “We’re close enough that we’ll get there before anyone else, even if someone else knows by now.”

“We can’t just abandon our mission,” Robin protested, but it was a token effort at best.

“We can’t just let whatever this is wander around Jersey,” Wonder Girl said, a little snappish. She softened and continued. “Robin, we’re useless here. We have to do something.”

Robin glanced down at the warehouse, still silent as it had been all night. “Okay,” he said, “I just have to set something up.” Working quickly, Robin pulled out a little camera and started to set it up, angling it so it was pointed at the entrance of the warehouse.

“What’s that?” Impulse asked.

“Motion sensing camera,” Robin explained. “It’ll snap a picture of anything that moves in the area.”

“Why the hell weren’t we just using that?” Arsenal snarled.

“It’s not foolproof,” Robin said, “It’s easy to knock over and the battery doesn't last too long. Most of the pictures end up being of pigeons.” He secured it and flicked it on. “But it should do in a pinch like this. Let’s go.”

None of them needed to be told twice; they took off, racing across the rooftops towards the other side of the city. They came to the bridge and those of them who couldn’t fly or run across water stalled. Blue Beetle scooped Arsenal up by the forearms and took off, but before Robin could signal to Wonder Girl, Superboy swooped down and gathered Robin in his arms.

“I got you, Rob,” Superboy said, grinning down at him. His gold earring glimmered in the low light and his hands on Robin’s forearms were like two iron bands, warm and sure. Robin squeezed Superboy’s forearms right back, more for acknowledgement than anything else, as he was certain Superboy would never drop him.

They touched down near where the creature had last been seen. It wasn't hard to follow its path of crushed fences and knocked-over trash and recycling bins to where it was now. As Robin had suspected, it was some kind of robot, though not any kind that Robin had ever seen before. It looked like something out of a steampunk nightmare that had been crossbred with alien technology, and had then been poorly spray painted in a slightly pukish green colour. Its overly large ‘head’ sat lopsidedly on top of a misshapen body, the whole structure listing to one side as it shuddered and jerked around, moving on spindly legs with no particular pattern no particular goal in mind. As it moved it wheezed and groaned painfully, gears grinding and structures rubbing together in metallic screams. As it moved it shed bits of machinery, bolts and flakes of metal clattering to the ground in a pinging rain. The whole thing seemed as though it would topple over at any moment and be done for, but it kept lumbering forward, powered by an unknown source. Robin might have felt sorry for the damn thing if it wasn't causing thousands in property damage and putting people’s lives at risk.

“So what’s our play?” Wonder Girl asked as they touched down.

Robin watched the robot for another moment, trying to figure it out. “We have no idea what this thing is capable of. It might be dangerous if we engage.”

“We can’t just let it wander around,” Wonder Girl protested. “It could hurt someone.”

“I know,” Robin said, leaning out of the little alcove they’d gathered in to watch the machine further.

Suddenly, a dog ran up to the robot and began barking at it. The machine gave no reaction, seeming not to even acknowledge the dog. When the dog ran up and bit at one spindly leg, the robot gave a metallic howl and jerked toward the dog, lashing out with another leg and booting the dog away. The dog yelped and turned to run away, tail between its legs and yipping as it went.

“It’s not reacting to any visual or aural stimuli,” Robin remarked, “but it strongly reacts to anything physical. As soon as we attack it, it’s going to go nuts.”

“Do we have to attack it?” Wonder Girl asked. “Can we corral it?”

“Maybe,” Robin said. “We should get ¡a better look at it.”

Wonder Girl turned to Blue Beetle. “Can you get some scans of it?”

Blue Beetle nodded. “I’ll see what it can do,” he promised before flying off towards the robot, keeping a safe distance away.

Robin glanced at Wonder Girl out of the corner of his eye, but she kept her eyes trained on Blue Beetle and the robot, her body coiled to leap into action at the slightest indication of something wrong. He wondered when exactly she’d gone from ‘fangirl’ to ‘Wonder Girl’.

Blue Beetle hovered several feet above the robot, well out of reach. No sooner than he’d started his scan when the machine bellowed and began spewing fire at him.

“¡Aye Dios mío!” Blue Beetle shouted, darting away. The robot followed Blue Beetle through the sky, still belching a river of fire at him. “¡Está detrás de mí!”

“Everybody move!” Wonder Girl shouted, dashing from the alcove and heading straight for the robot, heedless of the flames around her.

“Keep the flames away from the buildings!” Robin instructed, following Wonder Girl into the fray. “Bring it down but don't wreck it!”

The others fell behind them without the slightest hesitation. Everyone knew what position to take, how best to utilize their strengths and cover their teammates’ weaknesses. Robin hoped the Justice League would be so impressed that they forgot that they’d all abandoned their mission.

The robot was fierce and spat fire and noxious gas and electrocuted everything that touched it, but it was still bulky and lopsided and went down like a several tonne bag of rocks. It sputtered and groaned a few times, kicking valiantly before seeming to just give up. With what could only be described as a defeated sigh, the machine went limp against the pavement. Robin might have felt something like pity if the damn thing hadn’t almost roasted him.

“Where do you think it came from?” Blue Beetle asked, leaning over the downed robot.

“No idea,” Robin said, “but I think it was for us.”

“For us?” Arsenal asked.

“Think about the way it attacked Blue Beetle,” Robin pointed out. “It didn't react to the dog until it bit it, but Beetle didn't even get within six feet of it before it lost its gourd.”

Wonder Girl hummed. “Makes sense,” she said, “so what do we do about it?”

“Trying to figure that out,” Robin said, turning back to take a cautious step towards the fallen robot.

Robin shifted closer, ready to dart out of the way if it took a swing. The robot remained completely silent and still, its unearthly shrieks and groans a fading echo. Robin gave it a hardy thwap with his staff, but it didn't so much as shift, apparently completely dead. Robin carefully circled around it and tried to determine more about it.There was a strange glowing coming from somewhere inside the guts of the machinery, but it was too deeply buried for Robin to get a good look at it.

“We should probably call the League,” Wonder Girl said, “they’ll want to know about this.”

No sooner than the words had escaped her mouth did a comm unit chirp to life. First Robin’s, then the others. The seven of them shared a look and sighed.

“Okay, rock paper scissors, who gets to answer?” Arsenal said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually got a little stuck here because I'd told myself that I was going to cut a lot of the plot out that I'd originally planned, but I couldn't move the story forward without a little bit of plot coming back in. So this probably won't end up being very big.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [tumblr](https://mishaberrywrites.tumblr.com)!


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